Fragments of a God
by Shadowapple42
Summary: The Tailed Beasts are not demons or constructs of Chakra, they are the remaining fragments of a God. The largest fragment, Kurama, has no desire to live within a glorified drain pipe inside of a bratty shinobi's gut. Escape may be impossible, for now, but if the Kyuubi must live in a cage, it may as well be a gilded one. How will Naruto fare with a piece of a God advising him?
1. Prologue

**This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it. The people in the world of Naruto consider the Tailed Beasts to be demons. But I have always considered the Shinju to be the closest thing the Naruto world has to a God, this would make the bijuu the pieces, or fragments of a God. I wondered; how would this affect the story? We will just have to find out. The next chapter will be uploaded within two weeks.**

* * *

In the age before man, Gods roamed the world. Beings of such tremendous power, that it could not be imagined by the primitive humanity. These great entities shaped the world, reforming the continents and oceans as if they were clay. In time, however, these beings drifted away to unknown places, only a few remaining in the land. Most of these beings left mere whispers of themselves, and remained as shadows that affected the land in subtle ways. But there was one Godlike creature that did not leave, but chose to become a part of the world itself.

This Deity was the Shinju, a great tree, and it was the most powerful thing in this world. For eons it had rested upon the land, immobile and unaffected by everything surrounding it. Over time, humanity evolved and as they grew more advanced religions were formed. These religions were all different in some way or another, but all of them had one thing In common. The Shinju was a central figure in their worship. How could it not be? Even before humans gained the knowledge of chakra, they could feel the power rolling off of it. The Tree is impossibly high; it reaches into the clouds and almost seems to touch the moon. Its awe inspiring figure ensured that it was worshipped like the God it actually is.

The Shinju was worshipped, and as several sects of different religions all wished to claim the land surrounding it as their own, an era of war began. But it was not just for religion that these wars were fought. The lands surrounding the Shinju was enriched with its ambient power, and so they were the most fertile lands to be found; entire wars were started so one side could have the best farmland. These wars brought men and women who wished to rule over all others, armies rallied behind them and wars were fought to stroke their ego. These wars created resentment between the various factions, and so more wars were started to sooth the seething hatred various sides had towards each other.

Endless cycles of war, almost of all of which centred on the Shinju. But the Shinju did not care. Why should it? The struggling of the insects at its feet was beneath its notice. Its attentions were directed towards things that humanity could not understand.

This cycle of war continued for longer than any living memory or historic record could tell. And it may have been that is how it would always be. Except one day, a woman decided to commit the greatest of blasphemies, she decided to climb the Shinju.

Everyone knew the legends, that every millennia the Shinju would sprout a fruit that if eaten would grant the one who consumed it untold power. These legends have spurred many, many people to attempt to climb the great tree, all of whom fail. The tree's tremendous height cause most people to tire and fall to their deaths. Oddly enough, more people who attempt to climb the tree are slain by an opposing faction who does not wish an enemy to gain this legendary power.

Warriors and heroes, conquerors and villains; everyone who has ever attempted to climb the tree has failed. So it was for that reason that no one expected that a young woman would succeed in this impossible feat. But succeed she did.

This young woman managed what no one has ever done before; she was able to climb to the top of the great tree. This young woman would be the first human to lay eyes on the Shinju's summit.

* * *

Her name was Kaguya Otsutsuki, a young noble girl whose only desire was to end the wars that ravaged the world. She was a beautiful woman, with delicate features and long pale hair that would almost reach to her feet if it were not tied up to prevent her tripping while she was climbing. She wore a rough tunic and breeches, a stark contrast to her usual formal robes which are far more befitting of her noble status.

Not a moment since she had placed her feet onto the summit, a change had occurred within the Shinju. For the first time in its existence a mortal had set foot upon its most sacred area, this required a response.

Before the young noblewoman's eyes, a shadow seemed to coalesce in front of her. This shadow then took the shape of a man. This 'man' had no facial features to speak of, and the human shape it had formed was very rough, as It were a sketch on a piece of paper. And then, before the lady Kaguya could truly understand what had just formed in front of her, the shadow spoke.

_"You should not be here."_ The shadow's voice sounded as if it were a whisper from far away.

"Are, are you the Shinju?" said the lady Kaguya. She struggled to keep the fear from her voice, she had come far to reach this place, she would not falter now.

_"I am… a sliver, a fragment of fragments. It was this fragment that felt you climb us. It was this fragment that felt you disturb us. It was this fragment that itched in the same way as you if a fly were to crawl on your arm. Why are you here?" _The shadow's voice maintained its whisper. It felt nothing towards the mortal that had arrived at the Shinju's core, and could not understand the efforts she went to arrive there.

Kaguya paused, unsure of how to reply to this… creature that stood before her. It was not _the_ Shinju, but a part, a small part, of the being that she was raised from birth to worship. But deity or not, she had to press on for the sake of her quest. She cleared her throat to speak, her voice clear of any fear.

"O fragment of the great Shinju. I have travelled far and risked much in order to claim the legendary fruit that is said to grow within you. I wish to consume this fruit so that I may bring peace to the people of the world. Will you please grant it to me?"

The shadow cocked its head to one side after hearing the noblewoman's plea, as if considering giving her a response at all. After what felt like an age, the creature spoke.

_"You seek the fruit of the Chakra. This fruit could grant even a mortal power enough to gain notice amongst the Divine. With the power the fruit could grant, nothing a mortal could wish for would be beyond your grasp." _The shadow's whispers grew with intensity, as if even speaking of this fruit added weight to the ethereal creature's existence.

The young noblewoman's eyes alit with triumph. The legends were true after all, if they were not, her quest would have ended in vain.

"Yes! This is the fruit I seek. I beseech thee, o Shinju, grant me this gift."

The shadow seemed to recoil before it regained its composure. _"Gift? This is not a gift. There will be a price for what you seek. For what you ask, the price will be high."_

She took a moment to consider the creature's words. But after coming this far, Kaguya Otsutsuki's only desire in the world was to bring about peace. No price would be too high for her.

"I care not what this price will be. I must have the fruit to save the world."

If the shadow could laugh it would have. _"Save the world? Mortal, your short-lived species is nothing to this world. You mortals could destroy each other again and again and the world will not be moved. The Shinju will not be moved. This fruit will not save the world, but it will change it. That is the price."_

"I… do not understand."

_"Consuming this fruit will grant you the power you seek. But this power is a portion of the Shinju's power; in consuming this power, you will be connected to us. You will be forever changed. If you take this fruit, you will become a part of the Shinju and the Shinju will be a part of you. This power could save your species now, but may condemn it in the future as the Shinju's eye will finally take notice of your race."_

Kaguya paused, she had no desire to save her people now only for them to be destroyed later. But she soon grasped onto something that the Shadow had said. "You said 'may'; it is not guaranteed that the Shinju will cause my people's destruction."

The shadow spread its incorporeal arms in a conciliatory gesture. _"Nothing is absolute. Your mortal race was presumed to be beyond hope, and guaranteed to destruction. But here you are; a mortal hero who is one step away from changing that fate. Perhaps there are other remarkable insects that will do the same in the future? The chance is slim, but it is there."_

The young noble took a breath to ready herself. "This is the only way to save my kind now, and with the power of the fruit, more options will bloom in the future. I beseech thee, fragment of the Shinju; grant me this."

Without another word, the shadow dissipated. But before Kaguya could call after it, a small plant not unlike a bean-sprout sprouted next to her. Within moments, the plant had grown until it reached waist height of the young noble. On the tip of this strange plant was a single white bud, which slowly bloomed, revealing a blue fruit the size of a plum.

As soon as this fruit was revealed to her, the whispers of the Shadow could be heard echoing around the Shinju's sanctum. _"This is the fruit you seek. Take it, and the price will be paid."_

Reverently, Kaguya Otsutsuki plucked the Chakra fruit from the stem, taking no notice as the plant withered and died. She stares at the fruit for a moment, before taking it to her lips, and swallowing it whole…

* * *

And that was the beginning of a new legend, the legend of Kaguya Otsutsuki. The mortal who climbed the back of a God and came down something more…

While she had climbed up the great being, with the power of Chakra she had no need to do such a thing again. To return to the earth she had simply jumped from the great height of the deity, the fall could not harm her as she is now. Those few retainers she had waiting for her return at the base of the tree were gladdened to see their mistress return, but there was fear in their hearts as well. For their lady was no longer truly human; and her appearance confirmed it.

While she still maintained her delicate beauty. Her eyes had changed, her pupils were gone and her eyes were now pale lavender in colour, it was the first Byakugan. The most startling change in her appearance, however, was the emergence of two horns on either side of her head.

Unknowing, or uncaring for her retainers' fear she merely spared them a significant glance and a spoken sentence.

"Come, we have much work to do."

* * *

And work was indeed done. The wars ravaging the land had continued on and off for centuries, maybe even millennia. Kaguya Otsutsuki quelled them all within weeks. Such was her power.

It is unknown how she accomplished this task, but as long as she lived there was no conflict, all wars ceased, a peace never before known had dawned on humanity. And while many grumbled about her heavy-handedness, no one raised their voices against her. For some it was gratitude towards her, for others it was simple fear, but the end result was the same, Kaguya was unchallenged by any mortal.

Throughout all of her deeds however, the Shinju's eye was upon her. For the first time in eons, the Shinju had turned its gaze away from the heavens and returned it towards the earth it was rooted to. One cannot explain why the Shinju took such an interest. Perhaps it was curious about what a mortal would do with a portion of its power; but no one will ever truly know what it thought of the situation, as no mortal would be able to understand the answer.

One thing that has been hypothesized, however, was that it probably expected the power it granted Kaguya to return to it after she had passed away. For while Kaguya's lifespan was far longer than a regular mortals; it wasn't even a blink of an eye compared to the Shinju's perception of time.

That is what is believed to have angered the Shinju. For while it had offered its power to Kaguya, it had no agreements or deals with her sons. Who inherited the power their mother had received.

And so it came to pass that when Kaguya Otsutsuki left the mortal plane, the Shinju (or at least a large part of it) reformed itself into the visage of a ten-tailed monster and personally sought to reclaim the power of Chakra that the sons of Kaguya inherited.

The apocalyptic battle between the two sons of Kaguya Otsutsuki and the Shinju (hence known after this battle as the Juubi) was long and fierce. Very little is known about this legendary event as no civilization from that time survived the battle. By the end, the world was changed. Maps had to be completely redrawn and charted, societies had to be reformed, and watching it all was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, eldest son of Kaguya and the man who had sealed the Shinju into himself.

The other son, Hamura Otsutsuki, vanished from historic record, but his brother Hagoromo still had a part to play in the shaping of the world. Without Kaguya's influence, the shattered remains of civilization began warring with each other once more, all of them seeking to claim the remaining pieces of the last civilization for themselves. Hagoromo witnessed all of this, and like his mother before him, could not stand for such a thing to continue.

Hagoromo had no desire to be as heavy-handed as his mother, and instead of forcing his will on the frightened populace, he took a far more pacifistic stance. He spent many years guiding and teaching all who would listen to him, and while he did not abolish war, he ensured that civilization would be rebuilt. But the greatest accomplishment he is known for would be the sharing of Chakra.

Hagoromo believed that his mother's shock and awe approach to be morally wrong, and so he sought to spread the power of Chakra to the people. It was his hope that as all living things would share the energies of Chakra, and so draw closer together under common ground. Of course, after receiving the powers of Chakra, many people soon learnt its use in combat and began using it to wage more violent forms of war, much to Hagoromo's displeasure.

Despite his failures with Chakra; after many, many years Hagoromo, now known as the Sage of the Six Paths would perform one last world changing act. Aware of his dwindling years, and having no desire to release the Juubi to ravage the world in its fury; he used his power to split the Juubi into nine parts.

Hagoromo's last great act would be to fragment a God.

* * *

It has been a long, long time since the shadow was formed to converse with Kaguya Otsutsuki. But after many years, the fragment that was once the shadow has been dragged out into its own form once again. But… something is different.

The shadow… is no longer a shadow; it now has a form of its own. It has a real head, which can look down to examine its real claws. It can feel the wind on its face, it can see, smell and taste the world like no feeble incorporeal existence ever could. It was no longer an it, but a _he_.

He looked around with his corporeal eyes taking in the views that were only abstract concepts before. Beside him were eight other beings, all of them fragments such as himself, all of them had tails like himself, all of them looking at each other in wonder. He could feel their power; he knew they were all of the Shinju, as he was. And then he realised that he was the most powerful one of them all. To go from a sliver of consciousness to the largest fragment of the Shinju was… awe inspiring.

He looked down and beneath him he saw a man, this man looked so much like Kaguya did so long ago, when he witnessed the bargain she struck…

"Children," spoke the wizened old man "my name is Hagoromo, I am the one who has given you new life; life beyond that of the Shinju. You are no longer simple pieces of a puzzle. You are all unique and therefore, as new and unique beings, I shall give you all names so that you never forget this fact."

The Sage of the Six Paths looked straight into his eyes. "Your name… shall be Kurama."

And so began the legend of the Tailed Beasts; the fragments of the last great God.


	2. The Awakening

**I have to say I have been bowled over by the response I have received for the first chapter of this story. I was expecting like one review and maybe a follower or two. A big thank you for everyone who favourited and followed my first fanfiction. And an extra big thanks to those of you who reviewed, they were very inspiring for me. I'm afraid there isn't much in the way of action in this chapter; this one is more about setting up some situations and getting the ball rolling.**

* * *

From the fog of sleep, Kurama awoke from his slumber. His awakening is not a quick one, for some reason his body feels lethargic, completely devoid of energy. How could this be? He holds the greater power of a God, he shouldn't ever get _tired_.

Then, as he opens his eyes, he sees bars in front of him, and then realisation strikes him.

A rage Kurama has never felt in decades creeps over him. He has been trapped. He is trapped, _again_. He, Kurama, the nine-tailed fox, greatest fragment of the Shinju, witness of Kaguya Otsutsuki's bargain, is caged like an animal.

With a howl of fury, the Kyuubi collects as much power as he could manage in his weakened state and threw himself at the cage in front of him. For what feels like eons, Kurama strains against the gate, wielding all of the arcane and divine knowledge at his command to bear against his new prison. In over twelve different planes of existence, Kurama fought against the gate, pouring all of his energies into the singular goal of escape. It's not enough.

No matter what he did, the gate would not move. Weakened as he is, Kurama is still exerting enough power to shatter mountains, but it had _no effect_. No buckles, no tears, not even a hint of strain could be seen on the bars of his new prison. Plunged into a white-hot fury, the Kyuubi pushes even more power against the gate, his rage allowing him to push beyond his current limits. It's not enough.

Eventually, as if by some unspoken signal, the prison lets off a single pulse of energy, and in that moment, Kurama was instantly repulsed and sent flying away, landing ungracefully In a puddle of… sewer water?

The shock of landing in such a filthy place startles Kurama out of his rage. As his anger slowly died away, Kurama rises from his prone position on the filthy floor and took stock of his situation.

After a moment's thought, Kurama berated himself on his rash actions. Yes, he's been caged up like a beast, but that does not mean he has to act like one. Besides, it was quite obvious that brute force would not work in this situation, at least not at his current level of power. With a flick of his tails, the sewer water beneath him was banished, allowing Kurama to sit comfortably. There were many variables to consider, so he might as well be comfortable.

The first things that must be addressed: How did he get here? And what was the last thing he could remember?

Kurama closed his eyes, willing hazy memories forth, dredging up the reluctant past…

He remembers… his previous prison weakening… and then a mortal bearing the sharingan came and broke him free… But what happened after that? Jumbles, distorted images, he must have been under the mortal's control; how humiliating. Even now, the eyes of the Shinju can sway him, even in its diminished form. What happened next…?

Ah yes, the connection between the masked mortal and himself was broken. Just in time to be beset upon by even more mortals and higher beasts. Even disorientated, they should not have been too much of a challenge; were it not for his previous container, Kushina Uzumaki. Her chakra-forged chains were potent enough to restrain him. But even those bonds would not have held him long.

No, it wasn't the might of mortals that felled him. One of their number, the one known as the Fourth Hokage knew exactly how to challenge a Fragment of a God. He summoned a God of his own; the Shinigami, the personification of Death.

The Shinigami is the perfect weapon against one such as himself. To the smallest microbe, to the mightiest God, all beings die; and the Shinigami presides over them all. One cannot fight against death, not even a God.

And so, with the aid of the Shinigami, he was sealed away, again. But while the involvement of the Shinigami was his downfall, it may yet lead to his salvation.

This prison is very different from his last two. While a lot… dirtier, it is much, much less restrictive. The lack of restraints on his person allows him to do much more than simply move around; it allows him to exert his influence.

Tentatively, Kurama willed small amounts of his power forth. The ground beneath the Tailed Beast seemed to froth as bubbles comprised of pure chakra emerged from him, all creeping towards the gate. As expected, the prison easily repelled the Kyuubi's energy… but not all of it. Very small wisps of Kurama's power managed to squeeze past the bars, the gate not taking any action to prevent them. It seems that there is a limit to what the gate can recognise as a threat.

Kurama's grin threatened to split his face in two. Some gates can withstand the strongest force, but a subtle touch can sometimes be all that is needed. With great concentration, Kurama began forming a tendril of chakra, this time making it as weak as he could manage. Kurama sent this tendril past the gate, willing it to keep going forward until it finally came into contact with his host's chakra network.

"Now, let's see what I have to work with."Thought Kurama, his eyes alit with triumph.

The charka pathway network of a human body is very extensive, especially in the area of the brain. Taking advantage of these extensive pathways, Kurama directs his energy to travel the network towards his host's mind. It was the work of a moment, and in that moment, Kurama had access to his host's mental faculties.

Kurama very briefly considered attempting to cause a stroke or seizure in his host's brain, but quickly discarded the idea. He had no guarantee that he could pull off such a trick, and even if he could, it probably wouldn't be enough to kill the boy. And even if it did kill him, this seal has already proven to be different to his previous ones; it may not release him after the host's death. No, Kurama had something different in mind.

The Kyuubi does not know how long he has been asleep; he knows he was sealed inside of a baby boy, but nothing else. How many years have passed? What is the boy like? These are things he must know. Gently, and with an incredible amount of precision, Kurama teased his way into the boy's memories…

The triumphant grin that had been gracing the Kyuubi's face faded away.

Before this moment, Kurama thought there was nothing more humiliating than being controlled by the Sharingan. Before this moment, Kurama believed that no more indignities could ever be piled upon him. He was wrong.

"What is this?! This… this is… It cannot be. It cannot be!" The white-hot rage that Kurama had mastered earlier was slowly creeping up on him again.

Kurama considers himself, accurately, to be one of the most powerful beings in the world, if not the most powerful. He is a being that could create natural disasters with a thought, a being that all creatures both mortal and spiritual feared and respected. As such a mighty being, Kurama was used to being given respect.

His first host, Mito Uzumaki, was a powerful, important woman. She was a powerful kunoichi, wife to the First Hokage and matriarch of the Senju family. His second host, Kushina Uzumaki, was also an incredibly powerful kunoichi and was the wife to the Fourth Hokage. He hated them for his imprisonment; but he was still grudgingly pleased that even though he was caged, his hosts were respected and powerful.

But, his new host, this Naruto Uzumaki. This… this... _street rat_. This little seven year old brat. This stupid, powerless urchin. This is who was selected to be his new container.

This is not acceptable.

Before the rage could overtake him once again, Kurama forced it back down. It has already been proven that anger and raw power will not win this battle. Before he lost his connection the boy's mind, he delved back into his memories. There must be something that he can use. Something he can salvage from this debacle.

The more memories Kurama trawled through, the more downhearted he became. Naruto Uzumaki, a seven year old orphan who had been studying at the Konoha ninja academy for about a year. He's a poor student, very unwilling to focus on his studies, preferring to cause mischief then doing any actual work. The boy is stupid, naïve and clueless. And let's not even get started on his unhealthy obsession for Ramen. In short, his host is a complete disaster, and an embarrassment.

The more Kurama sees, the more he reconsiders his decision to kill him via a stroke. He was contemplating how much power he would require for such an act before he found a deep rooted memory in the boy's psyche.

"_Hokage."_

Kurama could almost feel the boy's determination.

"_I wanna be Hokage."_

Kurama has not felt such a strong desire from a mortal in centuries.

"_I'm going to be the greatest Hokage ever!"_

Incredibly ambitious… this could be something Kurama could work with. But why was this desire so strong? He had to know more. Kurama peered further into Naruto's mind, looking for anything that would explain this unnaturally strong desire...

Respect. That's what it all boiled down to. His status as Kurama's container (not that he is aware of this) makes him an outcast, which is something Naruto cannot stand. The boy wants to be acknowledged by everyone around him. He craves it, he needs it. The boy truly believes that if becomes powerful enough to be the Village of Konoha's leader and protector, they will all acknowledge him, that they will look at him with the same reverence they look at his mentor, the Third Hokage.

It's a bit pathetic in Kurama's opinion, but what he thinks about the boy's reasons doesn't really matter. With this ambition known to him, Kurama was now free to make plans. Naruto Uzumaki is a pathetic street rat, and unfitting to be associated with him. But with a little effort on his part, that could soon change…

Kurama's eyes gleamed with reignited triumph. What he has in mind would take years, but he would once again show the world just how powerful the greatest fragment of the Shinju really is.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki was dreaming. This was nothing new to the boy, everyone dreams after all. But this time, something is different…

Instead of dreaming about an endless supply of ramen or having old man Third giving him the Hokage's hat; Naruto dreams of the Hokage Mountain. But again, the mountain is different. It's far larger than it is in reality. It stretches to an impossible height so high that the faces of the four Hokage touch the clouds. He feels like a speck next to it, for the first time in his young life, Naruto feels truly and completely insignificant.

Naruto isn't afraid of heights, but looking upon this version of the Hokage Mountain fills him with trepidation. He just couldn't grasp the enormity of the mountain in front of him. Unconsciously, the young ninja in training takes a step back.

"What are you doing?" asked a deep voice from behind Naruto.

Naruto spun around to face the originator of the voice. In front of him stood a tall man, clad in full ornamental red plate armour, similar to something Naruto has seen on a picture of the First Hokage. The man's face could not be seen, his face covered by a red-steel helm. Only his eyes were visible, his deep-red eyes that seemed to glow due to the shadow cast by the mountain.

"W-who are you?!" said Naruto in surprise, he's never seen anything like this guy before.

The armoured man crossed his arms and gave Naruto an imperious stare. "I am here to help you, boy. Now, what are you doing?"

"I- uh, whady'a mean?" said Naruto while scratching the back of his head in confusion.

"You are backing away from the mountain. Why? Is it not your dream to be Hokage?"

Naruto was taken aback by this statement. But his reply was indignant "Of course I wanna be Hokage! I'm gonna be the greatest Hokage ever! What's it to you, geezer!"

The armoured-man pointed past Naruto's shoulder, back towards the mountain. "Look at the mountain again, boy. Look closely. What do you see?"

Fuming at how confusing the armoured guy was being, Naruto turned back around to face the Hokage Mountain once again. Now that Naruto was no longer surprised and distracted by the mountain's size he could look at it more closely. At first he saw nothing, but then he noticed shapes further up the rock-face.

"Hey… are those people?"

The armoured man snorted. "You finally noticed. They are indeed people, ninja, in fact."

Naruto spun around to face the man in surprise. "Ninja? Really?! But… why're they climbing?"

The armoured man gestured towards the mountain again. "This mountain is an obstacle. The greatest obstacle; it is the path to becoming Hokage."

Naruto perked up at that. "Path to being Hokage!? How does that work?"

"In this dream, the mountain is merely a metaphor," The armoured man waved his hand dismissively; ignoring the young Uzumaki's confused expression. "The mountain is a representation of the road to becoming Hokage. The path you seek will be a hard climb, and a perilous journey. You must climb this mountain. You must show your determination."

"Hey! Why should I jump through hoops for you geezer?!" said Naruto, anger creeping into his voice.

The armoured man continued to stare, unaffected by Naruto's outburst. "Isn't being Hokage your dream? Don't you want to be Hokage? Don't you want to see all of the people in the village respect you? Acknowledge you? Praise you? You say you want to be Hokage, but you don't even want to try and climb a mountain for the sake of your dream."

As Naruto's bluster faded due to the mysterious man's words, he gave him one last push.

"The people you see climbing this mountain are also people vying to become Hokage. They are your rivals. People you must surpass and overcome. People you must defeat. And they already have a head start. Besides I think you know some of those people," The armoured man pointed to one of the lowest climbers. "Like that one."

Naruto looked to where the armoured guy was pointing, and recognised the figure instantly. Sasuke Uchiha, Mr Perfect, the guy who gets everything right. His rival. There was no way that he would allow Sasuke to beat him in anything, especially the race to be Hokage.

In that one instant; Naruto forgot that this was a dream, ignored the fact that it wasn't real. In that moment, Naruto bellowed a roar of challenge and ran up to the mountain. With a second cry, he leapt as high as he could, grasped onto the rock-face and began climbing at a furious pace. Below him he could hear a cry from the armoured man.

"Yes boy! That's the spirit! Climb, show your determination, and reach the top."

As he watched the young Uzumaki climb; Kurama grinned beneath the helmet his mortal guise wore. It is a crude beginning. But the first lesson was already being taught. The very first step has been taken.

But already, he could feel the dream around him beginning to fade away. The boy was waking up, and it would be unwise to keep the boy asleep, lest it be noticed by others.

"_Now, with the boy's training underway, how should I address the other big problem? The Uchiha clan; with the Senju gone, and the boy not yet exhibiting any traits of the Uzumaki chains, are the only ones who could restrain me. I must think of a way to rid myself of them."_

But even as Kurama schemed, plans were being made without his knowledge which would take care of that particular problem for him…

* * *

Naruto's eyes snapped open. Within seconds he was sitting up bolt right in his bed, panting from exertion.

"What sort of dream was that?" said Naruto, but there was no one around to answer him.

Unconsciously, Naruto got up from his bed and dressed himself quickly. The Ninja Academy was having a summer break, and so there was no need to rush off to class. Instead Naruto left his apartment and headed to the roof of his apartment complex.

After reaching the roof, Naruto sat down and stared at the Hokage Monument.

"_Climb, show your determination, and reach the top."_

Maybe that geezer was on to something after all. "Determination…"

* * *

While the Kyuubi was scheming, and Naruto was pondering; the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was having deep thoughts of his own.

Sequestering themselves in a secret chamber beneath the Hokage tower; he and his former teammates, along with his old friend and rival Danzo, have been discussing a sensitive topic all night long: How to prevent the Uchiha clan rebellion. All night, these four venerable elders lent all of their considerable knowledge and experience to this task.

Ideas have been suggested, debated, and rejected. Concessions have been rebuffed, all attempts at subtle diplomacy has failed. The fact remains clear; the Uchiha clan are determined to take full control of the village. There was only one option left: Force.

"So, we are all agreed then." Said Hiruzen; his leaden tones betraying his thoughts on the agreed upon course of action.

"Indeed we are, my lord Hokage." Said Homura Mitokado; his former teammate.

"I understand that it is regretful, but there is no other option." Said Koharu Utatane; his other teammate.

"There is no need to feel regret over what will be done to traitors." Said Danzo dismissively; offering his own opinion on the matter. "That Konoha is kept safe is all that matters."

Nodding once to each of his advisors; Hiruzen rose from his seat. "Very well. The decision is final. Let this meeting and our conclusions on the matter be recorded in the Black Archive."

Glancing towards Homura, and with a heavy heart, the Third Hokage spoke the final words of the meeting. "Summon Itachi."

* * *

**And there we are. While this chapter didn't have anything in the way of action, I hope you still enjoyed it. The next chapter will be out sometime before mid-July, and will feature the destruction of the Uchiha clan… but not all will be as it seems.**


	3. Duty

**This is it, my third chapter, featuring the massacre of the Uchiha clan. This is my first action scene, and I hope you like it. I thank everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed so far. You guys are awesome! Some Author's Notes at the bottom of the chapter.**

* * *

Ever since he was young, Itachi Uchiha has always seen the world going in slow-motion. To him, the world was a lifeless tableau, almost as if it were a black and white portrait devoid of all colour. That wasn't the case with everything of course. Sometimes he would see or feel something that would touch his heart, and in that one instant, colour would return to the world.

The smell of ground cocoa beans…

The feeling of rain on his face…

The look of pride on his father's face…

His mother's smile…

But over time, as his eyes grew stronger, and he reached yet another plateau of power, even these things lost their lustre. The smell of cocoa and the feeling of rain have become just as dull as everything else to him. He can no longer gain satisfaction from his father's pride. And even when his mother smiles… he feels nothing. It felt like the butt of a cruel joke. He had trained hard, attaining more and more power in order to gain his father's approval. But now that he had that power, his father's pride meant nothing to him. Nothing.

But as the world lost more and more of its colour, he retreated further and further into his duties to the village. No matter how bleak the world around him became, he felt… at peace when doing his duty.

His duty; yes, that's been the crux of all of his recent problems. Once upon a time doing his duty for the Village was the same thing as doing duty for the Clan. But now… now the Clan wanted more than that. They wanted more from the Village, more from _him_. But he doesn't have anything more to give them.

He knows it won't be long now. Soon, he will be given the order. He knows it's inevitable; he has spent hours contemplating it. It can't be anyone else. Only he could do this.

Only he could destroy the Uchiha Clan.

He knows the order will come. But until it does, he will seclude himself here, his own little glade in the forest. A poet would describe where he sat as beautiful; they would rhapsodise over how the morning dew dappled the trees surrounding him, how the sunlight refracted off of those dew drops and bathed the area in needles of light. Itachi saw none of it. The beauty of a place means nothing to him; all he cares is that this location is quiet, and known only to him…

"Brother!"

…save one other.

Getting up from the boulder he was resting on, Itachi turned to face his little brother, Sasuke. He took one look at his brother, and in that one instant, life and colour returned to the world.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

Running up to him, Sasuke took a moment to catch his breath before responding.

"You didn't come home last night, and I was worried about you."

If it were not so deeply ingrained against his training, Itachi would have smiled. As it was the corners of his lips twitched, the highest form of happiness he could express. It didn't matter how bleak the world got, his little brother could cheer him up just by his very presence.

"There is nothing to be concerned over, brother. I spent the night here, thinking."

Sasuke looks at his big brother with the innocent eyes only a child could have. "What were you thinking about?"

Itachi paused for a moment, allowing himself time to word his dark ponderings into a safe sentence. "The future."

Sasuke frowned. "Is this about Shisui? You've been acting strange ever since he… went away."

Itachi did not allow his expression to change, but a shadow fell over his eyes. "Shisui… Shisui was my friend; and I will forever mourn his passing. But he isn't the reason I was out here. I just needed a quiet place to think, that's all."

From the look on his face, Itachi could tell Sasuke wasn't convinced. But he let it drop anyway. "Well… okay." Immediately afterwards, Sasuke's face brightened up. "Hey, brother, could you teach me something? Maybe like that cool shuriken technique you showed me the other day!"

Itachi was about to reply, when a crow perched upon his shoulder. Raising a hand to pre-empt and quieten his brother's curiosity, he removed a tiny piece of parchment from the bird's leg. It was a simple message; written in a code less than a handful of people knew.

_You have been summoned._

He knew what it meant; he had been expecting this message for some time. After a glance to memorize the message, Itachi released a small burst of chakra from his fingers; the message was then instantly incinerated by a brief gout of flame. After destroying the message, he looked down and saw Sasuke's inquisitive expression. Before his little brother could voice the question on his lips, Itachi cut him off.

"Sasuke, you should know better than to ask about a shinobi's correspondence. It's classified information."

Sasuke looked crestfallen for a moment before his regular cheerful outlook returned. "It's okay, I understand. Was it important?"

Itachi hesitated for a fraction of a second before replying. "…Very. Now, about that shuriken technique…"

Itachi took a long, hard look at his brother. He allowed himself a moment to memorize every facet of Sasuke's appearance, before bending down on his knees to look his brother straight in the eye. He held his gaze for a few seconds more.

Then, he poked him in the forehead.

"Sorry brother, maybe next time."

The sight of Sasuke's good natured grumbling at Itachi's usual style of rejection always made his lips twitch upwards slightly. For some reason he would never be able to explain, Itachi felt the urge to grab his brother by the shoulder, looking into his eyes once more.

"Sasuke… one day I will teach you everything I know about ninjutsu. That is a promise."

Sasuke's eyes grew bright. "Really? You mean it brother?"

"Of course I do. Now, I have to get going, you should go get some lunch"

As Sasuke ran off, Itachi straightened himself to his full height, watching his brother leave. Unexpectedly, Sasuke stopped for a moment and looked behind his shoulder. "Mom was worried about you too, you know. I think even father was worried. You should come back to this house more often!"

After hearing his brother's final words, Itachi stood deathly still for a moment. Without Sasuke near him the world around began to lose its colour once again. The dark thoughts crept back into his mind. He dearly wished his brother had not spoken of their parents. He did not want them in his thoughts right now, not with what he is soon to do. Instead, he boxed thoughts of his parents away, replacing them with thoughts of duty, and of Sasuke.

In his life, only two things truly mattered to him; duty, and his brother. He vowed to himself that he would uphold both, no matter the cost.

After releasing a breath he did not know he was holding; Itachi vanished from the glade via the Shunshin technique.

He would never return there again.

* * *

The sun had set on the village of Konoha. The last fleeting rays of the sun cast a gloom over the village, defining the clouds and casting a sickly pallor over all it touched below them. Itachi thought it was the perfect view. For this one event, the world looked the way he had always seen it in his mind's eye.

As he stalked his way towards the home of his family and friends, he allowed his mind to wander back to the fateful meeting with the Hokage and his advising elders…

* * *

_Over the years, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had aged into the appearance of the perfect grandfather, kindly and wise. But there was steel in his gaze, and a knotted strength in his shoulders that bespoke of his decades of service as a shinobi of Konoha. He wore his robes of office with a strength of dignity that one would be hard pressed to find in men half his age. _

_Itachi's supreme military commander stared down at his kneeling form with a look that was both compassionate and hard._

"_You know why you have been summoned?"_

"_Yes, Lord Hokage."_

_The Hokage sighed in sympathy. "This has been building up for a long time Itachi; long before you or even your father was born. But, it has finally boiled over. The Uchiha clan plan to wage war on the village in a matter of days. This cannot be allowed. The hard earned peace our brave ninja have forged would be lost." _

_At this point in the Hokage's speech, one of the elders, Danzō, stepped forward. While the Hokage looked gentler with age, Danzō was his opposite. He wore his years with bitterly; the wrinkles on his face may as well have been scars. Much of his face was wrapped up in bandages, covering his damaged eye. His arm was also heavily bandaged and worn in a full-body sling. It was of Itachi's opinion that the wrappings were intentionally larger than they had to be in order to portray an image of frailty. But no one able to see the steel in Danzō's one visible eye could possibly believe that this man was frail._

"_Itachi, your clan are traitors. They seek to harm Konoha with their selfish actions. Diplomacy has failed, it had failed years ago. The Uchiha clan must be destroyed." _

_The Hokage cut in. "This is, of course, regrettable; especially with what we wish you to do," the Hokage sighed, "It can't be anyone else Itachi. If we send any other agent, they could fail, they could be identified as working under our orders. I could intercede myself, but that would be even worse. It would shout loud and clear to the world that there was a schism in the very heart of our Village."_

_Danzō stepped forward once more, his singular eye staring deep into Itachi's own. "It must look like an internal matter. It must be one of their own who does this. And the only Uchiha who is truly loyal to Konoha is you." _

_The Hokage's own gaze settled upon Itachi. "Can you do this Itachi? Can you follow your duty? Even in this?"_

_To Itachi, the reply was obvious. "Yes, Lord Hokage."_

_Hiruzen rested a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "You are a true shinobi, Itachi. This old man will forever remember your courage. Even in the darkest of moments, remember that I am proud of you."_

_Danzō put his good arm on Itachi's other shoulder. While the Hokage's hand was gentle, Danzō's held him with a firm grip. "You will be branded a rogue and a traitor. But we will know the truth. You are a loyal shinobi. This will not be forgotten by anyone in this room."_

_Behind them, the other two elders, Homura and Koharu, nodded their agreement to coincide with Danzō's words, but remained silent. Itachi wondered if they were merely withholding their opinions or if they simply didn't want to become anymore involved in this business then they already were._

_The Hokage, as always, had the final word. "Itachi, for official record for the Black Archive, do you accept this mission?"_

_Everyone in the room knew the answer. "Yes, Lord Hokage…"_

* * *

Itachi approached the gate guards first. There were two of them, each standing vigil on either side of the gate. He knew them, but not very well, he had no special memories with these two men. They were the perfect place to begin.

One of them turned to face him. "Itachi, you haven't been seen around the compound for some time now. Where have you been?"

Itachi activated his Sharingan, he had no words left for them except, "Defend yourself."

Faster than the guards could conceive, Itachi threw a kunai hidden in the palm of his hand. With pinpoint accuracy, the weapon punched through the one of the guard's eye and into his brain. The shock of having several key areas of the mind being destroyed by eight-inches of steel ensured that the guard died without even having time to scream.

Even as the slain guard was collapsing to the ground, Itachi sped into action. The Sharingan allowed him to see every single little twitch on the remaining guard's frightened face. Itachi could see the minute vibrations of his target's throat as he began to shout and alert the compound. That could not be allowed.

Before a single sound could be made, Itachi's hand was around the surviving guard's throat in a vice-like grip. With a simple pulse of chakra to enhance his natural strength, the guard's windpipe was crushed, and his neck broke with a muffled snap.

Both guards died quickly, which satisfied Itachi. Orders aside; they were family.

Without further ceremony, Itachi slipped his way through the compound entrance, pulling the bodies of the guards with him via use of chakra strings. It would not do for someone to discover two corpses outside of the compound and raise an alarm.

Before beginning his assault, Itachi had surveyed the compound from afar. Due to this precaution, he had seen that all of the other clan members had gone indoors. So when he stepped inside, it was with confidence that no one would be outside to witness him enter.

Of course, nothing can ever be guaranteed. And so when Itachi saw a young Uchiha woman not ten paces away from where he stood, he almost had the urge to raise an eyebrow in surprise. They stared at each other for a moment.

She took a glance at the bodies behind him, and then into his eyes before attempting to scream. However, it was not possible for her to make a sound. That single glance into Itachi's sharingan was all it took. Her eyes glazed over, her face went slack, and her arms dropped to her sides. She was trapped in a genjustsu.

Itachi recognised her; she was a civilian member of the clan. Untrained as a ninja and was an apprentice dressmaker. He remembered that she would always blush and stammer whenever she spoke to him.

He casually strode past her, pressing a kunai into her hand as he did so. Dumbly, she used the kunai to slit her own throat; the genjustsu shrouding her mind convincing her that it was the perfect thing to do. Blood poured down her neck and onto her dress in rivulets. She then collapsed to her knees and died. The genjustsu ensured she felt no pain. She was family after all.

Unsheathing a tantō from behind his back, Itachi stepped into closest building to the compound entrance. Inside he found a group of Uchiha ninja playing cards. Unlike the deceased young lady outside; these people were trained. As soon as they saw him in his ANBU armour and with an unsheathed weapon, they sprang into action. It was not enough. To Itachi's eyes, they may as well have been statues. With a placid expression, Itachi sped past them, slicing open key arteries in their necks and thighs before striding back outside. It was the sheer shock, rather than blood loss that killed them. Itachi ensured they felt little pain in their passing, they were family after all.

Itachi repeated this pattern in every building he came across. He would step into a building, and kill every living thing inside. Most fought him tooth and nail; but found that they were unable to match his skill. Others tried to flee; but found that they were unable to match his speed. A few got on their knees and begged for mercy; but found that he had no mercy to offer them.

Throughout it all, thoughts repeated through Itachi's mind like a mantra.

"_The orders are absolute."_

"_I serve and protect the greater peace."_

"_I must follow my duty."_

After clearing building after building, he had finally approached the home of his parents. A place he had lived his entire life. After a millisecond of hesitation he stepped inside, sharingan ablaze; searching for the ones he called mother and father.

They were not here.

Itachi quickly and efficiently searched the house, but his parents were not to be found. Where could they be…?

Realisation struck him; the Uchiha shrine, at the very back of the compound. The survivors, including his parents, must have gathered there. Readying himself, Itachi stalked out of the home he grew up in and headed towards what would become his parent's final resting place.

It was not long before he faced resistance.

Three Uchiha shinobi stood vigil over the shrine's entrance. He recognized them all instantly; Tekka, Yashiro and Inabi; the three Uchiha who had always been the most suspicious of him. Itachi wondered briefly if they felt any sort of vindication that their suspicions had been correct all along. Of course, it didn't really matter what their thoughts and feelings were on the matter, they would die all the same.

"Itachi, I hope you're pleased with yourself over what you have done," Said Yashiro, a stern man in his forties, "Your killing spree ends here."

"Lord Fugaku should have allowed us to lock you up when we had the chance." Said Inabi; an aggressive man with shoulder-length hair.

Tekka said nothing, but the anger that could be seen in his eyes said more than words ever could.

Itachi remained silent. What was there to say? He raised his hand, and made a come-hither motion. Immediately, the three Uchiha responded. Inabi and Tekka charged him; Inabi was in front, forming the hand-seals for a jutsu, Tekka wielding a kunai. Yashiro stayed behind, opting to observe how Itachi responded to the threat.

Itachi's sharingan allowed him to see his opponents come to him in slow motion. He could immediately decipher Inabi's jutsu from the hand-seals he was slowly forming and determined that he was the greater threat. Without further preamble Itachi sped further than even Inabi's sharingan-enhanced eyes could catch and sliced off four of his fingers on one hand. Before the shock of the career ending injury could set in; Itachi slapped a minimum-yield explosive tag on his face. The tag exploded a second after Itachi withdrew his hand, reducing Inabi's head to red-mist.

Inabi's death happened so quickly that Itachi had the luxury of viewing Tekka charge at him in slow-motion. Indeed, Itachi took so long in deciding what to do with him that he was almost within striking distance.

Catching Tekka's weapon wielding arm, Itachi redirected his opponent's wrist to face him, and plunged Tekka's own kunai into his throat. As he began collapsing to the ground, Tekka's other arm reached out in a savage swipe to Itachi's face; but Itachi merely swayed out of the way before stepping past his fallen form.

His two opponents slain, Itachi turned his gaze to where Yashiro stood… but he was no longer there. Itachi was startled for a moment before his eyes began darting around the area, searching for where he had hidden himself. A sudden instinct encouraged him to look up, and saw Yashiro in the air directly above him.

Yashiro, his sharingan spinning furiously, glaring down at his enemy, called out the name of his technique. "Katon: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Itachi took a moment to admire Yashiro's command of the jutsu. Normally, this technique allows the user to spit out four to six fireballs at the enemy. Yashiro released so many fireballs that it looked like the sky was raining fire.

Knowing it would be impossible to dodge that many fireballs, Itachi readied his tantō in defence. Weaving his weapon in a circular motion, Itachi pushed his chakra through it and began using his own power to parry the dangerous balls of flame. No matter how many fireballs Yashiro sent his way, none of them were able to break past Itachi's defensive technique.

Inevitably, Yashiro was unable to keep using the technique so frequently. After Yashiro landed back on the ground during a lull in his offensive, Itachi sped forward and unleashed a flurry of strikes towards his foe. To his credit, Yashiro fended off the first few attacks with a kunai, but even his experience was no match for Itachi's skill and with a definitive strike, his head was struck from his shoulders.

With the last of the trio slain, Itachi continued his pace towards the shrine, satisfied that they felt little pain before they died. They were family, after all.

Itachi was just about to slide open the shrine entrance, when somebody did for him from the inside. Itachi barely registered the event before a sandaled-foot struck him hard in the chest, sending him skidding from the entrance. Guarding the doorway was a man Itachi knew very well; the head of the Uchiha clan, his principle teacher, his father, Fugaku Uchiha.

"So, it has come to this." Said Fugaku; dressed in his full jōnin attire, a stoic expression on his face.

Itachi readied his tantō. "Yes, father."

Fugaku sighed in disappointment. "Know this Itachi; I understand why you have done what you have done. I am not fighting you not out of a need for vengeance or hatred…" his sharingan activated "I am punishing you for disobeying your father!"

Without hand-seals or calling out a name, a truly massive ball of flame burst out of Fugaku's open mouth, the enormous fireball threatening to incinerate everything in its path.

Itachi knew his father well, and recognized the open display of force for what it was. Unlike with Yashiro, this was not something that could be easily defended against, the only option was evasion. This was exactly what Fugaku was counting on.

But Itachi was no fool. Instead of leaping into the air as his father would expect, Itachi used the shunshin technique to teleport behind Fugaku, and deliver a killing blow with his tantō…

CLANG!

A sharp metallic clash could be heard echoing throughout the compound.

Instead of severing his father's head, Itachi's tantō was halted by his father's own weapon. Fugaku was not even looking at him, his own tantō was held behind his head, contemptuously warding Itachi's strike.

"Did you really think I could be deceived by such a basic trick?" said Fugaku, incredulity colouring his voice.

Sensing danger, Itachi tried to disengage from the threat by leaping away, but his father kept pace with him, locking their tantō together. No matter what Itachi did, Fugaku kept their tantō locked. Itachi knew he could not let go of his weapon, as his father would use that opportunity to strike at him.

After a few more moments of futile deadlock, a burst of chakra powered flame erupted from Fugaku's mouth, the deadly inferno threatening to reduce Itachi to cinders.

It was a mistake Itachi capitalised on, as while Fugaku was moulding the chakra for his seal-less jutsu, he took the opportunity to use a Kawarimi to replace himself with a piece of debris.

Rather than be disorientated by Itachi's withdrawal, Fugaku's sharingan allowed him to track where Itachi had relocated himself and immediately pressed the attack.

But Itachi was prepared for his father's offensive, and this time prevented Fugaku from locking blades. Instead he exchanged flurries of blows while looking for a weakness he could exploit. After several more moments, Itachi found an opening and pressed his own offensive.

It was a trap, as soon as Itachi went in for a killing blow, Fugaku let go of his own blade and swayed to the side. For the briefest of moments, Itachi was overextended, it was enough.

Fugaku's fist drove itself into Itachi's face. If he had not rolled with the blow, his cheek bone would have been caved in. After gaining a foothold through his defences, Fugaku plunged on; throwing strike after strike at Itachi's weakened defence.

Fugaku's eyes blazed with anger "Never forget I was the one who taught you! You may be faster than me," another punch, narrowly missed "stronger than me," another strike, barely deflected, "and possess greater skill," a kick which barely connected. "But there is one lesson I could never teach you. Aggression!"

With a roar, Fugaku drove his fist into Itachi's midsection, doubling him over; he then brought both of his fists down on the back of his head, before grabbing a hold of Itachi's hair and driving a knee into his face. Beaten, Itachi collapsed to the ground.

Fugaku stood over the defeated form of his son, breathing heavily. It was over, finished…

A tantō burst out of his chest.

Blood spewing out of mouth, his face a rictus of pain, Fugaku turned his head to view his son. Standing directly behind him, holding the tantō he just buried in his father's back.

"As expected of the head of the Uchiha clan. If it were not for the power of my new eyes, I would have been able to catch you in a genjustsu before you delivered the finishing blow."

Fugaku's bloodshot eyes stared into Itachi's own, and discovered that they were not normal sharingan. The pattern in them had altered, becoming more intricate…

"Mangekyō… Sharingan…" The look of surprise on Fugaku's face turned into one of comprehension. "So you did… kill Shisui… as…expected of my son." Fugaku grinned, blood frothing up through his teeth and giving him a hideous appearance. "With the Mangekyō…. This is only the beginning…."

And with those parting words, Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan, died.

Itachi took a moment to stare at his father; pondering his last words. The beginning of what, he wondered? What did his father mean? But for now at least, it didn't matter. He put thoughts of his now dead father out of his mind, and without further impediment headed towards his final goal: The Uchiha Shrine, and his mother; Mikoto Uchiha.

* * *

When Itachi stepped into the shrine, he found it dark and cold. The only person, a woman in ceremonial white robes kneeling behind a traditional table lit with candles. In her hands was a cup of tea, opposite her, was another cup, freshly brewed.

Itachi's mother looked up at him and smiled. "Ah, Itachi, sit down and have a chat with your mother."

Wearily, Itachi knelt opposite his mother, keeping his tantō in easy reach. "I confess; this was not what I was expecting."

Mikoto looked amused, "Oh? Were you expecting in me in full combat gear, ready to fight to the death?" she chuckled "I am not so arrogant as to believe that I could accomplish what your father and the other clan members could not. Even if I were to somehow overpower you, what then? Your actions here have only confirmed what your father and I suspected, that they were aware of our plans for a coup from the beginning. If I were to somehow escape, I'm pretty sure I would end up quietly executed or caged in some dank prison." Mikoto's eyes hardened, "I have no desire to spend the rest of my life in a prison."

"Then… do you wish me to end it quickly, now?" said Itachi.

Mikoto laughed again, her expression and posture perfectly composed into the look of the ideal Clan Matriarch. "Oh, no dear. I have no desire to have my life ended by my own son. I think that would be the ultimate failure as a mother." Mikoto stared hard at Itachi. "Was I that bad of a mother? Did I fail you so utterly?"

Itachi's face was as hard as stone. "There was no failure on your part mother. I am merely following my duty."

Mikoto rolled her eyes "Duty. What has duty ever done for anyone? Does it give them a sense of purpose? Yes, but it is someone else's purpose, someone else's goals." Mikoto's expression turned sorrowful, "You never did live for yourself. You did everything your father and I wanted you to do when you were a boy. But it wasn't enough for you, was it?"

"No." Itachi's reply was as cold as the shrine they were in.

Mikoto sighed "I hoped that one day; you would find a reason to live. Outside of your father and I. I do not like that you ran into the arms of the village leaders, however."

"No, there is something else that I live for." Said Itachi; the denial an uncharacteristic outburst.

His mother smiled, the warm smile that used to touch his heart, "Yes, Sasuke. I'm not blind; I see the way you look over him. You would never harm Sasuke. If I had even an inkling that you did, this meeting would have been a lot different."

Her smile turned sad. "Promise me, Itachi. Promise that you will always look after Sasuke."

To Itachi, the reply was obvious. "Of course, Mother. As well as I am able."

Mikoto lifted her cup of tea in salute. "With that promise in mind, I can die happy. Now, drink your tea before it gets cold."

Itachi sniffed at the cup, it was his mother's special recipe. "This is not poisoned." It was a statement not a question.

His mother sniffed in disdain. "I wouldn't poison my son's tea." The smile returned to her face "_My _cup, however, is a much different story."

Mikoto raised the cup to her lips and gulped down the last dregs of her tea. "It's quite painless, tasteless too, so it didn't spoil the tea."

Her eyes began to dim. "I can already feel it working… be a good boy Itachi… look after Sasuke for me."

Her eyes closed. They would never open again. Her posture remained composed, however, even in death, she looked the perfect noblewoman.

Itachi wanted to be satisfied, his mother's death was painless, but… he couldn't feel a thing. He felt empty.

But that emptiness did not last long. For the first time since he walked into the compound, Itachi felt something. Hate. Hate for himself. The hatred he felt deep inside his soul turned inward. He could hear a part of himself whisper in his mind.

"_How dare you feel nothing over your own mother's death."_

Itachi allowed himself a minute to savour the tea his mother brewed for him. He then got up, bowed deeply to his mother, and stalked out of the room.

* * *

The taste of his mother's tea was still in his mouth when he approached the compound entrance. There was nothing left for him here.

Before he could make it to the gate, it was opened from the outside. His brother, Sasuke stepped inside, a smile on his face.

"Brother! I…" Sasuke saw the blood covering his brother and the smile died into confusion. Another look revealed several corpses of his kinsman, and the confusion gave way to panic and fear.

"B-brother…. W-what happened…?" his voice was quiet, trailing off as the horror in front of the young boy overwhelmed him.

"I killed our family, Sasuke." Said Itachi; his voice a dull monotone.

Sasuke's eyes widened even further, the concept of his brother. The person he respected the most in the world committing such a heinous act was almost incomprehensible.

"W…why?" his voice came out as a mere whisper.

Itachi stared at his brother, he dearly wished that he was just a few minutes sooner leaving, or that Sasuke was a little later in returning. But it was too late for what ifs. "I killed them Sasuke, because they were a threat. A threat to me… and to you."

Sasuke's face was a mask of fear, "A t-th-threat?"

Itachi looked at his little brother with an inscrutable expression on his face. "Yes, Sasuke. They were holding us both back. They were restraining us. They were weak and corrupt and so I expunged them. Now, of the Uchiha clan, only two still exist. Me… and you."

Itachi knew that Sasuke would never truly accept that his brother and hero could do such a thing. So throughout his little speech, his sharingan were boring directly into Sasuke's terrified eyes; his hypnotism convincing him of the truth.

"A-are you going t-to kill m-me too?" said Sasuke, his voice sounding broken to even his ears.

Itachi did not respond to that question, continuing to stare down at his brother…

* * *

"… _But my Lord Hokage; I have a request."_

_Danzō raised an eyebrow, but the Hokage merely motioned for Itachi to continue._

"_Please allow me to spare my brother, Sasuke."_

_An expression Itachi could not describe flashed over the Hokage's face; before the regular grandfatherly smile returned. "I will allow it. He will be watched however, just in case."_

_Danzō's one eye glittered. "I was going to suggest sparing him anyway. It would be a waste to completely destroy the clan. With Sasuke, we have a chance of restoring them to prominence one day."_

_The Hokage glanced at his old rival sharply, before continuing to speak to Itachi. "Sasuke will be spared… and protected. You have my word on it."_

"_Thank you… Lord Hokage." _

"_Don't forget, make it convincing, Itachi…" warned Danzō; his words echoing around the dark room._

* * *

"No, I'm not going to kill you brother. That would be a waste."

Sasuke could only stare at his brother, unable to muster a reply.

"Sasuke… I was not lying when I told you that one day I would teach you everything I know about ninjutsu." Itachi thumped his chest "Every technique and skill our clan knew is within me. I am aware of every secret of our clan. And I will share them with you." Itachi bent down to look at Sasuke straight in the eyes. "I will share them with you in battle."

Itachi grabbed Sasuke by both sides of his head, his sharingan morphing into the Mangekyō. Stricken with terror and confusion, Sasuke did nothing to resist. The enhanced sharingan started spinning wildly, burning an image deep into Sasuke's mind. With the power of the sharingan empowering his every word, Itachi spoke the sentences that would direct Sasuke's life for years to come.

"Grow powerful, brother. Train, train hard every day, seek teachings from every master; become as powerful as you can become. And, when you have reached the plateau of power I now stand on, we will face each other. Through the blood of battle, we will both teach each other everything we know, and when one of us falls, the other will become the pinnacle of humanity."

Itachi would have wept if he still had tears left in him to shed. Sasuke's innocence will be lost this day, and it was by his doing. But… he is still alive. Though the path he has set him on is a dark one, he will grow strong, strong enough that one day he will never again need his brother to watch over him anymore.

After absentmindedly stroking his little brother's hair; Itachi got up and walked out of the place he grew up, and into the darkening light…

He tried to convince himself that it wasn't Sasuke he could hear screaming.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki was dreaming, but nowadays he no longer dreamed of things other children dreamt of. Games, playing and Ramen was not something that appeared in his dreams anymore.

All that mattered was the mountain, the Hokage Mountain. An impossibly large wall of stone; where the heads of the four Hokage looked down upon him from an impossible height.

Naruto has endeavoured to climb this mountain, after some encouragement from the enigmatic man in red armour. Of course, as if by magic the very action of thinking about this man made him appear. On the next ledge of the mountain, Naruto found himself pulled up by a large armoured hand to a small ledge on the mountain, just big enough for both of them to sit on.

"Greetings, Naruto." Said the deep voice of the Stranger.

"Hi… I guess…" grumbled Naruto.

"What's wrong?" replied the stranger.

"Well… I've been climbing this thing for ages! But you don't have to climb it at all!"

Behind his mortal guise, Kurama snorted. "That's because I'm… a part of you. A part of your mind. I am technically part of this dream, and so don't have to go through the effort of climbing it as you do." The steel helm turned to face Naruto. "Besides, this is not my test, but yours."

"Well… I guess you got a point, it just doesn't seem fair." Said Naruto; a pout adorning on his face.

The Stranger shrugged. "The fairness of life is a lesson for another day. Today, I wish to talk to you about something else."

Naruto gave him a sidelong look. "About what, geezer?"

The Stranger hesitated for the briefest of moments. "I want to talk, about… duty. I feel that it is something that you must understand sooner rather than later."

Naruto frowned "What's duty got to do with anything?"

"Duty has to do with everything, especially if you wish to become Hokage." admonished the Stranger, "If you wish to become Hokage, you will have to understand it."

As always, at the mention of becoming Hokage, Naruto was all ears. "Okay! What do I need to know geezer?"

Putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder, the armoured man spoke "As a shinobi of Konoha, you will have a duty, an obligation, towards the village. You will be called upon to defend it, to serve its citizens and to fight its enemies. You will be commanded to do many things. Some of these things may be tasks you don't want or like to do, or to help someone you would not want to help, or to fight someone you would not want to fight. In short, as a shinobi you will have a duty towards others that you serve."

The Stranger paused, allowing what he said to sink in. "But; that is only one facet of duty. There is another, more important part that many tend to forget. There is another side to duty, that only the truly great hold dear."

Naruto stared hard into the deep-red eyes behind the helm. "What is it?"

Kurama returned the stare, looking into his host's ocean-blue eyes. "The duty towards yourself. You may be called upon to do things that you may not agree with, and most of the time, you have to follow this duty. But no matter what your duty for others calls for you to do; you must never lose your way. You have an obligation to yourself, a duty to uphold your virtues, your beliefs, and your identity. If you ever forget your personal duty, if you ever allow others to dictate everything that you are; you will never be worthy enough to become a leader of men."

Naruto continued to stare at the mysterious man for a moment longer, before looking up at the stone heads of the Hokage. "Duty..."

* * *

Naruto woke up; his eyes fluttering open to gaze at his blank ceiling.

"_Never lose your way."_

The words of the Stranger echoed throughout his mind, Naruto would stay in bed a little longer than usual that day; allowing the wisdom the Stranger offered him to play through his mind…

* * *

With a backpack containing his worldly possessions over his shoulder, Itachi Uchiha walked away from the village he sacrificed everything to protect.

Hurting Sasuke wounded him, but he was at peace knowing that his duty to the village was upheld. He protected the village from the threat of his family, and with any luck, Sasuke would recover from his ordeal.

Itachi thought back to the techniques he had discovered with the Mangekyō Sharingan, like the Tsukuyomi. It could have been much worse for Sasuke if he considered testing such a twisted technique on his brother. But that would have been foolish, a regular hypnotism was all that was required to steer Sasuke down the required path.

Suddenly, Itachi felt a presence close to him, spinning around to face it, his tantō in hand. Itachi prepared to engage this perceived threat.

Almost immediately after Itachi prepared to fight, a man wearing an orange mask with wild, shaggy hair stepped out of the shadow of a tree.

With a manic voice that felt as the dark as the shadows it originated from, the masked man spoke. "Greetings, Mister Uchiha, I come in peace. I have a… proposition for you…"

* * *

**And that's it folks. I really hope you enjoyed it. I decided to flesh out the Uchiha Massacre for a couple of reasons. The first is because I don't think I've ever read a fanfic where it is fleshed out to any great detail. I also wanted to show the divergence of Sasuke's character from canon. How will this Sasuke be different? Only time will tell. Another big reason is because of Fugaku. I have never, ever, read a fanfiction where this guy ever gets a fight scene, actually… that's not true, I have read one or two fanfics which show him getting completely owned by his opponent. That is stupid in my opinion, Fugaku Uchiha was the head of the Uchiha clan, and therefore had to have been a skilled Jōnin. In my fanfic, Fugaku actually gets a few seconds in the spotlight.**

**Also, I hoped you guys liked my rendition of Itachi, he won't be seen again for a while, but he'll have an important role in the future.**

**Once again thank you for reading this chapter (and the few people who actually read these authors notes) and hope you enjoy the chapters to come. **


	4. Paperwork, Powder and Responsibility

**Greetings! This chapter took longer to write than I had planned, so I'm sorry about that. I hope you enjoy this latest instalment. I would like to thank everyone who has favourited and followed my story so far, and an extra big thank you for those who Reviewed, you're all great. A few author's notes (for those who are interested) are at the bottom of the chapter.**

**(And because I have forgotten the last few times)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; it is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

It was a bright morning sun that greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi as he looked out of the window of his office in the Hokage building. He felt like it was mocking him. For such wonderful summer weather to dawn just hours after a brutal massacre that he had ordered… It felt wrong.

But what he thought about the weather did not truly matter in the grand scheme of things; so he put it out of his mind. He had a difficult day ahead of him, and gloomy thoughts about the weather would only make it more irritating.

Turning away from the window, the Third Hokage seated himself at his desk. He had been in his office for only a minute or two when one of his Chūnin secretaries walked in; with several folders in one hand and a tray of breakfast balanced on the crook of his other arm.

"Here is your breakfast, Lord Hokage. Also, here are the preliminary reports on the… event last night."

After placing a tray consisting of a bowl of steamed rice and fish on the desk, the chūnin bowed deeply to his leader and handed him the documents before stepping back out of the office.

Sliding the tray of food to one side, Hiruzen placed the folders in front of him. With a swipe of a finger, he deactivated the security seals keeping them locked from curious eyes, and takes out several reports from the first folder.

As he suspected, the first folder was filled with preliminary reports on what is already being dubbed 'the Uchiha Massacre'. He skipped over the first report; he knew its contents already. He had Danzō send an agent to 'stumble upon' suspicious activity within the Uchiha compound. After the agent 'found' one shell-shocked Sasuke Uchiha and several dead members of the Uchiha clan, the alarm was raised.

The next few reports were an analysis of the event, along with a few autopsy reports, with some pictures attached for good measure. Hiruzen felt a flash or morbid pride that his ninja teams were so thorough, before quashing it. Pride was definitely not a feeling he wanted to attach to these events.

According to the report, the majority of the clan were quickly eliminated with killing blows to major arteries. There were a few rather notable exceptions however. Such as poor Inabi Uchiha; Hiruzen felt sorry for whoever had to scavenge for the pieces of the chūnin's skull.

Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha were also another sticking point. It was made quite clear by the coroner that the Uchiha clan head had fought hard, if the bruising on his knuckles and other extremities was any indication. But the way he was struck from behind indicated he was captured by a genjutsu before he was slain.

Mikoto Uchiha appeared to have taken her own life with a poison of her own making. There were even some cliff notes on her report that revealed just how effective the poison was. Unfortunately, there were no stores of it, and there was too little of it in her system to synthesise more.

The only real report of importance in the first folder is the testimony of Uchiha Sasuke. After the traumatised boy was coaxed out of his fear by the medic-nin, he reported that it was his brother, Itachi Uchiha that committed the murders.

This was, Hiruzen mused, yet another good reason (among many others) to keep Sasuke alive. It allowed his shinobi to quickly identify the culprit without having to spend hours analysing the compound for clues. Of course, they did that anyway in order to corroborate the boy's story. But at least this way, warrants of arrest could be quickly drawn up for the rogue ANBU commander.

It was also interesting to read his ninja's thoughts on Itachi being the perpetrator. It was, of course, no surprise to him that Itachi had 'gone rogue'; but poling his ninja's opinions on the matter may be useful for later analysis.

After skimming these reports, Hiruzen carefully placed them back in the first folder and picked up the second folder. This is the more important file, as it holds documents pertaining to the short and long-term aftermath of the massacre.

After confirming without a doubt that it was Itachi who committed the massacre; the various documents required to discharge him from official service were drawn up to await his signature. After reading the documents carefully in order to verify them, the Hokage added his signature and seal to them, making them legally binding. There were also documents to brand Itachi an S-ranked rogue ninja, or missing-nin. These were also signed, with an extra note to add him to the bingo-book and place a bounty on his head, the amount to be determined before the next edition was published.

After that nasty bit of paperwork was done, Hiruzen turned his attention to other documents within the file. These documents were about three things. What to do about the Uchiha clan compound, the Konoha Military Police, and most importantly, what to do about Sasuke Uchiha.

The compound was an easy decision, Hiruzen signed the orders to have the compound cleaned up and then sealed off. More can be done to those buildings another time, but that will do for now.

The Military Police was another matter. This organisation was comprised almost entirely of Uchiha clan members, so only a few low-ranking members still remain. This is troubling for many reasons. With the Military Police decimated, an important piece of Konoha's infrastructure was severely damaged; that infrastructure being the ability to easily enforce the law.

The Military Police headquarters is also Konoha's internal prison. Without anyone maintaining it, it would be impossible to use as a deterrent for petty crime such as being drunk and disorderly or shoplifting, etcetera.

Konoha is a ninja village, so it naturally has little in the way of crime. But what little there is was easily handled by the Military Police. The organisation was also an effective way of enforcing discipline in the ninja forces. What shinobi or kunoichi would be willing to show a lackadaisical attitude if they knew someone had the ability to watch and evaluate them?

Even as he considers this, Hiruzen pulls out another report by the financial analysis division. It states that without the Konoha Military Police, crime rates and the level of ninja going rogue would gradually increase over time.

That cannot be allowed. Hiruzen did not order the annihilation of the Uchiha just for the village to slip into anarchy anyway. It would be a horrible betrayal of his predecessors and the future generations to come.

Quickly, the Hokage wrote up several orders for the Military Police headquarters to be temporarily maintained. He also signed a document to draft volunteers for a new Police force. With luck, Hiruzen will be able to reform the Military Police from the ground up, something he had always wished to do.

With those troublesome issues out of the way. Hiruzen now had to decide what to do about Sasuke Uchiha. The Third Hokage leaned back in his chair in thought. Thinking back to when he met the boy personally last night.

* * *

_Hiruzen Sarutobi strode through the doors of the Konoha hospital. As it was the dead of night, very few saw him enter, and those who did knew better than to question his presence. Of the few who were manning the hospital night-shift, only a fraction of them knew his purpose for coming here. That purpose soon became clear as he single-mindedly strode towards an isolated, heavily guarded ward; the ward that held Sasuke Uchiha._

_Brushing past the ANBU operatives who were guarding the ward, Hiruzen came face to face with the last living Uchiha in Konoha. _

_After taking a moment to look at the figure sitting hunched over the edge of a hospital bed; the first thing that came to Hiruzen's mind was that he looked so small. This young little boy had learned that his beloved brother slaughtered every single member of their family. This small, fragile child has had his entire world view shattered into a dark ruin. _

_And it was all his doing._

_Bending down on old aching knees, the Third Hokage placed his weathered hands on the boy's shoulders. After a moment, slowly, hesitantly, the boy looked up._

"_Lord Hokage…" said Sasuke, his voice sounding as if it were coming from far away._

_Staring into the vacant eyes of his victim, the platitudes and speeches died from Hiruzen's lips. The only words the Hokage could muster came from deep inside his old heart:_

"_I'm… so sorry Sasuke."_

_It was a short sentence; something that people say often, most of the time with little meaning behind it. But it was the only thing he could say. For Sasuke, it was enough. The child's vacant eyes regained their lustre, and it was apparent to the old man that the reality of what had happened had finally dawned. In that moment of clarity, Sasuke burst into tears. _

_The only thing the Hokage could do was bring the boy into a hug; allowing the boy he had indirectly brutalised to cry into his robes. It was just as well that Sasuke couldn't see the Hokage's face, as it was as hard as stone._

_One boy's happiness for the safety of the village; it was a fair trade._

* * *

With a shake of his head, the Hokage stirred himself from his musings. It was a shame about what had happened to Sasuke, and to Itachi, but it was the best option for everyone in the long run.

Without further thought on the matter, Hiruzen quickly signed the documents making the young Uchiha a Ward of the State. He also arranged for a small apartment for the boy to reside in, and also put aside some time in his weekly schedule to meet the boy and hash out any details regarding the Uchiha properties, which he technically owns as the last living legal benefactor.

After that bit of business was finished, Hiruzen packed up the contents of the second folder and turned to his breakfast.

But after taking one look at the food he let out a muted curse. He had spent so long doing paperwork and being lost in thought that the rice was beginning to turn dry and hard.

Without further preamble, the mightiest ninja in the village began scoffing down his breakfast with gusto. It wouldn't do to allow his food to go stale, and besides, he has quite a bit more work to do before lunch

While chewing on some fish, the Hokage absentmindedly reached out for the third and final folder. This folder containing details for the new academic year at the Ninja Academy…

* * *

Iruka Umino is, for all intents and purposes, an average shinobi. His ninjutsu is average, his genjutsu is average, and his taijutsu is average. His skill with ninja tools and weaponry is average, and so is his grasp of the more esoteric arts, such as fūinjutsu. His height is average, his build is average, and even his standard issue Konoha chūnin uniform had absolutely no unique features whatsoever.

Oh he had a few tricks up his sleeve, but what those tricks are and what they do is known only to him and him alone. But ninja are supposed to have tricks no one else knows, that is part of the profession, so even in that, he is average.

Completely, and utterly, average.

So it was a great surprise to him, that after he had completed his morning duties in the administration building, he was summoned by the Hokage to meet with him personally in his office.

Iruka knows this sort of thing doesn't happen to people like him. The Hokage does not call for personal meetings with career chūnin such as himself. He simply doesn't have the time or inclination. Oh sure he makes sure to personally offer missions to starting genin in order to boost their confidence and inspire them. Jōnin and up-and-coming chūnin also often get that special one-on-one treatment; they're the stars of the village after all. But someone like Iruka? No.

Iruka was still trying to understand why the Hokage would summon him even as he approached the door to his office. Seeing that he was almost at his destination, he put such thoughts out of his mind. It would do no good to meet the Hokage while lost in thought.

Taking a deep breath, the young chūnin knocked on the Hokage's office door. No sooner had he done so that an aged voice answered him.

"Ah, is that you Iruka? Come in, the door isn't locked."

With the barest hint of trepidation, Iruka opened the door and stepped foot into his leader's office. Inside, he was greeted by a friendly smile and a warm greeting.

"It is good to see you Iruka," the Hokage gestured to a chair in front of his desk, "please, sit down."

More relaxed after such a friendly greeting, Iruka quickly crossed the distance of the office, and after bowing in deference to his leader, sat down in the proffered seat.

"Chūnin Umino reporting to your office as commanded, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage waved down the formalities with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Please, there is no need for such ceremony. I promise you are not in any trouble."

With effort he hoped wasn't visible, Iruka did his best to relax. "If that is the case, while I am honoured that you have personally requested to see me, I am unaware as to why I am here. What is it you wish of me, Lord Hokage?"

Instead of answering him, the Hokage pulled out a file from a large folder that was next to a tray and an empty rice bowl. Without looking at him, the village leader began reading from the opened file. "Iruka Umino. Age: Eighteen. Rank: Chūnin. Currently working in the Administration sector, but recently passed the Academy Teacher's exam." The Hokage looked up from his notes. "The report also states your mission records and aptitude tests, but those aren't all that important right now. What I am most interested in is your reasoning for applying to be a teacher at the Academy. You are a very young man Iruka, why do you want to become a teacher at your age?"

Iruka cocked his head in confusion, "If this report has that much information in it, shouldn't it also have my reasoning written down on it?"

The Hokage shrugged, "It has the reason you wrote down in your written examination; 'To pass the Will of Fire down to the next generation.' It is a good answer, but it is also a textbook answer, something written down in order to pass an exam. What is your, real, reason?"

Iruka frowned, "I never lied, I do want to pass the Will of Fire down to the next generation, but…" his eyes took on a faraway gaze, as he became lost in thought "…that's only part of it. I'm sure on that report of yours it states that I am an orphan."

The Hokage's expression turned sorrowful, "I am, of course, aware of this. I still remember the night I comforted you after those terrible events seven years ago."

Iruka continued on as if he hadn't heard him. "A lot of down-on-their-luck kids join the Ninja Academy because it's the easiest thing to get into. There's no need to desperately search for an apprenticeship into another trade, or scrounge up the money to go to a civilian school here or in the Capital. All you have to do is be healthy and promise to work hard and love the village, that's all you have to do. Some of these kids don't have well-to-do parents or any parents at all."

The Hokage took that moment to interrupt. "You feel as if you can help these children."

Nodding in agreement to his leader's perceptive comment, Iruka continued "When I was in the Academy, I noticed how my teachers would favour certain students over others. Kids from established clans, or kids with rich parents, or those with more talent than others. Oh, they wouldn't neglect anyone, but people who were average or worse, like myself, tended to get side-lined. I never felt that was fair, or right. As a teacher at the Academy, every child in my care will be treated fairly."

The Hokage gave Iruka an appraising look. "Even if one of those children was Naruto Uzumaki?"

To his credit, Iruka did not flinch. "I… meant what I said. Everyone in my class will be treated equally, despite any personal feelings I may have."

The Hokage stroked his chin in thought, before taking a document that was underneath a stack of folders and signing it. "Alright then, if that's the case, you will be teaching the class Naruto Uzumaki is in."

For a moment Iruka was taken aback, the Hokage's seemingly abrupt decision startled him. "Forgive my rudeness Lord Hokage, but are you certain? If I remember correctly, the class Naruto is in has already completed a year in the Academy. I was aware that new teachers normally observe classes for a term before they begin teaching on their own, and a first-year class at that."

The Hokage chuckled. "That is indeed the usual protocol, but I have a feeling that you have what it takes already. After listening to your impassioned speech just now, I know you have the Will of Fire within you." His expression turned sombre, "Also, your desire to treat your students fairly and equally will be perfect for the class I want you to teach. It is not just the young Uzumaki in that class, but many children with amazing potential. Many of them are scions from notable clans, most of them heirs at that. There are quite a few teachers at the Academy who would give them preferential treatment, to the detriment of other students with no such connections. Naruto Uzumaki is one such student."

Iruka's frown returned. "So… you're giving me this class because I just said I will treat everyone fairly."

The Hokage nodded in agreement to the young chūnin's response. "The teacher who taught Naruto's class in the first-year had a predilection to favour certain students. The young Sasuke Uchiha is a distinct example." At this, the Hokage paused, "I assume you are aware of what happened last night?"

Iruka's eyes grew wide, "I… had heard the rumours, but I didn't know if they were accurate or not."

The Hokage grunted, "Well whatever you heard, it's probably worse. I will grant you the necessary clearance so you know exactly what happened. It will be important for you to know as you will be Sasuke's teacher. Now, do you have any questions?"

Iruka was silent for a moment, before responding. "I'm not the only eighteen year old chūnin who took the Teacher's Examination. My friend Mizuki Touji also passed it, and I believe him to be somewhat superior in terms of skill. You made a point about my age, so why only summon me?"

The Third answered immediately, "Mizuki is a stalwart member of the Shinobi corps, and I am glad that he wishes to help the next-generation along… But he is also a very reserved man; while he would do his best, I do not believe he would ever be able to be truly genuine with his emotions or his teaching. Besides, despite your friendship I could always detect a rivalry between you and him when you were genin. If you did something, so did Mizuki. I suspect he may have applied for the Teaching program simply because you did."

Iruka found that he could not find a fault in his leader's reasoning. But before he could form a response, the Hokage continued speaking.

"I also disagree with your assessment that Mizuki is more skilled than you. As I may have mentioned earlier, your report has a reasonably detailed analysis of your skills and abilities. I won't bore you with specifics. But in short it says that you are average in every field; e_very _field."

The Hokage gave Iruka a significant look, "Do you know just how rare that is? A shinobi that has mid-level skills in taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and virtually every other field of shinobi study? There are Tokubetsu Jōnin who lack such… versatility. It is true that you have little in the way of specialisation, save perhaps the intelligence required to become an Academy Teacher; but your lack of specialisation is also your strength. You have a grounding in every shinobi discipline, you are well rounded, a 'jack-of-all-trades', the perfect person to teach young ninja and to help them understand what they would wish to specialise in."

Iruka was shocked at his Hokage's words, he had never thought of his abilities that way before. Taking a moment to come to terms with what his leader had told him, Iruka rose from his seat and bowed in respect.

"Lord Hokage; Chūnin Iruka Umino gladly accepts the posting at the Konoha Academy."

A wan smile graced the Third's face. "Good. I will schedule a meeting here tomorrow with yourself and your new class's last teacher in order to discuss a curriculum. We should hurry, the new Term starts in August, so we only have a month to make plans."

Iruka raised an eyebrow, "A month should be more than enough time, sir."

The smile on the Hokage's face spread into a wry grin. "Not when someone like Naruto is involved. In fact, I'm sure he is up to no good right now…"

* * *

To Naruto Uzumaki, the world is a magical place. It's full of smells, tastes and sights that fed the imagination and fired up the soul. In his honest opinion, if you cared to look, you could easily find some adventure and excitement anywhere you go.

Of course, the young Uzumaki's usual opinion of adventure and excitement normally means trouble for other people.

True to the Third Hokage's predictions, Naruto Uzumaki was indeed up to no good.

Standing on a rooftop, Naruto surveyed the sights beneath him. From his vantage point directly above the main Konoha marketplace, everyone looked so small.

Things had been strange for the young ninja-in-training recently. The weird dreams he has been having are making the boy think in ways he never had before. Determination… Duty… these were concepts he had heard about, but never really understood. Naruto was still uncertain about what he had learned, but it certainly gave him something to think about.

But you can only ponder the imponderables for so long. Sitting down and thinking about intangible concepts just isn't something Naruto can do for long. There's just no point. He could think about it and think about it, but random ideas and metaphors aren't going to suddenly become real and important just because he wants them to.

So, putting aside such thoughts and worries for now, Naruto returned to his observations on the villagers below him. Not only did they look small, they looked miserable too. Their heads were drooped downwards; they were hunched over, and their arms were either hanging limply at their sides or crossed over themselves. This was strange to Naruto, sure the villagers could be really boring, but they were never depressed, not like this anyway.

Now that he thought about it, something felt different today. Normally the police guys patrolled the area, but they weren't there. Instead he noticed a single masked ninja who could only be an ANBU agent half-hidden by the shadow of a market stall. Did something happen? Was that why everyone looked so down?

Well, he can always find out the reason later. But at least this way he could cheer everyone up!

Hefting a thin paper bag full of talcum powder in his hands, Naruto took a moment to marvel at what some people throw out. In his short life, he has seen some weird stuff tossed into the trash, but he's never seen a giant tub of talcum powder chucked out before. Of course, Naruto wasn't one to waste such an opportunity.

And so without further ado, Naruto carefully lifted the bag above his head, took aim, and threw it at the gloomiest looking person he could see.

The guy he struck look like he just lost all of his life-savings, and maybe he had. But if that's the case, he got something in return, a bag full of talcum powder bursting in his face. Naruto could only imagine the look of shock on his face as the formerly depressed guy was completely enveloped in the white powder. Seeing everyone around that guy jump up like startled chickens almost made Naruto completely lose it then and there.

Of course, Naruto wasn't going to stop at just one person; you can fill a lot of bags from a big tub of talcum powder. Laughing merrily, Naruto continued to bombard the villagers below him. It wasn't long before dozens of Konoha's civilian population were covered in white powder.

Continuing to laugh at the sight below him, Naruto started to run, jumping towards the nearest adjacent rooftop. He was lucky, the ANBU agent seemed to have found it funny too, or he would have stopped him already. As it was, it wouldn't be long before he gave chase.

Still chuckling as he ran, Naruto allowed a grin to spread across his face. At that moment, it didn't matter that people avert their eyes when he walks by, or pull their children away when he glances in their direction. There was no way those people in the market could ignore him today.

Even if those he pranked grumbled and cursed now, some would go home, look at themselves in the mirror, and laugh. For those few who could see the funny side, Naruto was able to bring some adventure and excitement into their lives. They would forget about whatever was making them sad and smile.

And until he becomes Hokage, that's all the young Uzumaki could hope for.

* * *

Inside of his dark, dank and nigh-impenetrable prison, Kurama was startled out of his meditations by a surge of emotion from his host.

Kurama was surprised at the feeling of pure elation that he could feel flowing from the tenuous link he had formed within the Uzumaki boy's mind. What could possibly make the boy that happy? Tentatively, the Kyuubi allowed a portion of his consciousness to connect to that link, and within moments he was viewing the boy's most recent memories.

…

"What?"

All Kurama could see were a group of mortals covered in some form of dusty white powder. The majority of whom were jumping around like frightened rabbits.

Although he has been trapped in several mortal hosts over the past century, Kurama could not remember any such custom among mortals. Was it new?

Scratching his head with one claw, Kurama turned away from his host's memories. Some deep instinct within the immortal being was telling him that whatever caused that scene was his host's doing.

Endeavouring to investigate the boy's memories of the event later, Kurama returned to his meditations. The Kyuubi realised he had a lot more work ahead of him before the boy was presentable. The Uzumaki was a challenge, even for the greatest fragment of a God.

Perhaps a lesson on Responsibility is in order…

* * *

**And that's a wrap. I'm afraid this chapter is more of a filler chapter than anything else. But I needed to write something about the Uchiha Massacre's aftermath. This chapter is all about setting up the first true "arc" of the story, The Academy Arc! **

**Like the Massacre, the Academy tends to get glossed over as well. But Naruto and most of the main cast spend at least six years of their lives in this institution, so it will have a chapter or two dedicated to it. **

**I've noticed that I haven't written much from Naruto's perspective yet. There is a reason for that, he's seven. At this moment in his life, Naruto is not yet a major player, but fear not, Naruto will get a lot more face-time in the next few chapters.**

**Speaking of ages; after some research, I have discovered that Itachi was thirteen when he killed his clan in canon. That doesn't fly with me, so I've bumped his age up to fifteen. It feels more believable to me, and it's a small enough increase in age that it isn't noticeable in the grand scheme of things.**

**Anyway, filler or not I hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter. With luck the next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one did.**


	5. Academy Days - Part 1

**Hello! I have been flabbergasted by the reaction I have had to this story, over one-hundred favourites, and over one-hundred and fifty followers! I thank each and every one of you, and an extra big thank you to those who have taken their time to Review, you guys are awesome. I hope you enjoy this latest instalment of my story.**

* * *

Just over a month had gone by since the Uchiha Massacre, and the people of Konoha had gotten back to the normal routine of their lives.

The first two weeks after the massacre were tense. The Uchiha clan was, arguably, the strongest clan in Konoha; but they were all slain by a single man. What was to stop the same thing happening to other clans, or worse, civilians who could not protect themselves? But after the Hokage posted ANBU in the streets, those fears died down.

The ANBU were only a temporary measure however, and it was announced that the Konoha Military Police would be restored very soon. With representatives from every clan in order to share the responsibility and eliminate bias. Many semi-retired ninja had also applied for positions in the new police force as a way of continuing their duty to the village, even if they no longer wished to take missions outside of its walls.

With the restoration of the Konoha Military Police now official, the general public calmed down. Life returned to normal, as normal as you can get in a ninja village anyway. A part of that normality was the beginning of the new academic year at the ninja Academy.

For many people, it would be a fresh start.

* * *

With an easy smile and a relaxed mood, Naruto Uzumaki made his way through the gates of the Konoha Academy.

Having an entire month off had been great, but it got boring after a while. There is only so much you can do outside of the Academy, and as most people shy away from him, he didn't have much of a social life to fall back on.

Sure there is that friendly ramen stand owner and his daughter, but Naruto's wallet just isn't capable of withstanding daily visits. Old man Hokage is also a great guy to hang around with, but he's always SUPER busy, and except for a few times when he ate ramen with him, or told him some old stories about the Village, he was unable to spend too much time with him.

Of course, when he wasn't with the Old man, or eating ramen, or exploring and having fun; Naruto was dreaming. Almost every night, Naruto climbed the mountain, and every time he did the man in red armour was watching. The young Uzumaki found it a bit creepy at first, but after some time had passed, the mysterious man just became another fixture of the dream, albeit a talkative one.

Most of the time, the enigmatic figure gave Naruto short lectures on morality and ethics, but recently he would give him riddles. Naruto remembered asking the Stranger why he was doing this, and the Stranger's reply was still vivid in his mind.

"_All of life is one big riddle, boy. Nothing is straightforward; the answers will never be obvious. You will require guile and cunning to decipher the answers you seek. Remember that when you go to the Academy tomorrow, it may help you."_

Shaking his head to clear the memory away; Naruto strode into the Academy's interior. It was a strange feeling, it had only been a month, but it felt much longer to the aspiring shinobi. The place looked exactly the same, no one had changed anything in the building, that much was obvious, but something was definitely different. It was a feeling in Naruto's gut, something had changed. But was it a good change? There was only one way to find out.

Naruto kept walking down the hall, passing by the classroom he spent his first year in. He paused a moment to take a peek inside, Old Man Hokage was there, giving the same speech he gave his class last year. Naruto had heard all of that before, and was going to move on, when he noticed that his teacher from last year, Instructor Daikoku Funeno, was also there. That was strange; he was told that the Academy teachers moved up a grade along with their students. What was that about?

After a moment's thought, and deciding that it didn't really matter, Naruto continued down the hall, to the second-year classroom. It wasn't long before he found the right place. Of course, after finding where he was supposed to go, what was the best way to make a strong first impression?

The answer should be obvious.

With all of his strength, Naruto slides the door open (nearly tearing it off the wall) and jumps into the room; spreading his arms out to receive his adoring public.

"Everyone can relax! For the great Naruto Uzumaki has arrived!"

* * *

Inside of a seal bound by the power of Heaven and Earth; one of the most powerful beings in the world palms his face in despair.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the dismay of the semi-divine entity residing in his gut, Naruto studied the faces of his classmates. It had been a while since he had seen them all, but despite that, it hadn't looked like they had changed at all. Chōuji still had his hand in a bag of chips, Shikamaru was still looking like he was going to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, Shino still looked creepy, and Kiba still looked like an asshole.

Of course, after suddenly jumping into a room full of people, the young Uzumaki couldn't afford to stare off into space. Without missing a beat Naruto did an abrupt turn towards the teacher's desk and saluted him. "Naruto Uzumaki, present and accounted for."

For the first time, Naruto got a good look at his new teacher. He was a nondescript man, wearing the traditional chūnin uniform. He wore a neutral expression on his face, his only defining feature being a long scar running across his nose.

It wasn't long before Naruto's new teacher formed a response. "Well, after such a… spirited introduction, I'll ask you to find a seat, Uzumaki."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice, and within moments the ninja-in-training bounded up the stairs and dropped down into an open seat next to Chōuji. Naruto wasn't stupid; if he kept on Chōuji's good side he might just get a chip or two. Free food is free food after all. They exchanged pleasant grunts with one another, before turning their attention towards their new teacher.

After waiting a second or two for everyone to turn their attention to him, the class's new teacher spoke. "Greetings class. Now that we are all here, I shall introduce myself properly. I am Instructor Iruka Umino, and I am going to be your principle teacher for this year, and probably all the years after that until you graduate. As this is my first time meeting all of you, I would love to get to know everyone better before the week is out." The now named Iruka clasped his hands together, "So, for the first few minutes of the day, let's have a quick question and answer session. But instead of me asking you the questions, it'll be the other way around, but when you ask me something, I would like you to tell me your name as well. So, who's first?"

A small forest of hands shot up, and Naruto saw Iruka point towards someone near the front of the class.

"Um… my name is Sakura Haruno, and if it's okay to ask, what happened to Instructor Daikoku? I thought he would be our teacher like he was last year."

"An excellent question, Sakura. Instructor Daikoku has decided not to move up a year alongside you and has instead opted to teach this year's group of first year students. While he may take you for some classes, he will no longer be your principle teacher. Now are there any other questions?"

Surprisingly, Naruto saw Shikamaru raise a hand. It was strange to see that lazy bones do anything except sleep. It looked like Iruka could somehow sense that this was a rare occasion, and pointed towards the lazy Nara.

"My name is Shikamaru Nara… This might be bit rude... but aren't you a bit young to be a teacher?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Young? Adults are adults; they stopped being young ages ago.

Far from being offended by Shikamaru's question, Iruka snorted in amusement. "That's no problem, Shikamaru. While I am a few years younger than my fellow instructors, I can assure you that I am a fully trained and qualified teacher. Are there any more questions?"

This time, Iruka pointed a finger at the very back of the class. It was Shino.

"My name is Shino Aburame. You said earlier that 'we were all here', but I do not see Sasuke Uchiha. Is he no longer part of this class?"

Iruka hesitated for a moment before answering, "It appears I may have misspoken, Shino. Sasuke Uchiha is definitely a part of this class. But due to… extenuating circumstances, he will be joining us a little later in the week."

Naruto huffed, why is it that a day couldn't go by without someone mentioning Sasuke, or the Uchiha? He isn't even here, it's annoying damn it!

There were a few more questions, and it went on for a couple more minutes, before Iruka called it to a stop. "Okay, that's enough for now. We have to get on with the rest of morning." Iruka handed out a large stack of papers to someone in the first row. "Take one and pass on the rest."

It wasn't long before the papers were distributed among the class. Naruto took one look at his own paper and groaned; a groan that was echoed by a large portion of the class. It was a test.

The newly minted teacher put up his hands to placate his students. "Now, now, this is only the first day. I wouldn't give you a test on your very first day back. This is more of a review of last year. It won't take long, about half-an-hour, but it will allow me to see how much you understood from last year. Just write your name on the top, and start answering the questions after I say 'go'."

While reading the questions on the paper, Naruto scrunched his face up into a frown. Did they really learn this stuff last year? He wasn't sure. Naruto would have thought about this more, but he was interrupted by his new instructor ordering them to begin.

Naruto immediately picked up his pencil (he remembered to bring one, thankfully) and went to answer the first question.

This one was pretty easy. _'What Country does the Village of Konoha reside in?'_ Naruto scribbled in '_Fire Country'_, and continued to the next question. The second one was just as easy. _'What is needed to perform ninjutsu and genjutsu?'_ It was obviously chakra! Naruto scribbled in _'Catra'_. Unfortunately, the third question _'List the twelve basic hand seals'_ had him stumped. Naruto stared blankly at the question for a while, before jotting down the hand signs he could remember and moved on. But the next question was even more incomprehensible, and the one after that, and the one after that.

It went downhill from there. Naruto just couldn't remember ever learning the stuff Iruka claimed was taught last year. There were a few things he could answer, mostly stuff about the past Hokage, but other than that, he was clueless.

Mercifully, after half an hour had passed, Iruka called for everyone to stop. "Okay class, that's time. If you would pass the papers to the student in front of you, I can collect them all from the front row."

With little fanfare the papers were soon collected and in Iruka's hands. "It won't take me long to go through these," Said the young Instructor. "Before we break for lunch, I want to review something else you were taught last year, something a bit more practical; the basic rope-escape technique."

Naruto perked up, now this he could do.

One by one each member of the class was brought to the front of the room and bound with ropes. Iruka then used a stop-watch to time how long it took for each student to free themselves. Having a surname so late into the alphabet, Naruto had the luxury of watching his classmates perform the task from afar. Some escaped their bonds easily, others took much longer. Shikamaru took the longest; Iruka had to virtually threaten the boy before the lazy Nara plucked up the motivation to free himself. A few could not manage to escape the ropes at all, and Iruka pulled them aside and promised to review it with them at a later time.

At last, Naruto was called up. His new teacher quickly trussed him up the same way every other student had been bound. "Alright Uzumaki, when I say 'go' you do your level best to escape as fast as possible. Are you ready?"

As always, Naruto wasn't lacking for exuberance "Bring it on!"

"Go."

With practiced ease, Naruto undid the knots around his wrists and slipped the rest of his bonds. He was free mere moments after Iruka called for him to start. It was ridiculously easy, as Naruto had been tied up by several ninja before after being caught pulling pranks, and their knots are usually a lot more difficult to undo than the basic teaching ones.

Upon seeing the ropes fall away from him, Iruka glanced at his stopwatch, "That was… fast, Uzumaki. Not bad at all."

Naruto beamed at the praise, before bounding up the steps and sitting back into his seat. It wasn't long after that that Iruka allowed everyone to break for lunch.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki isn't exactly the most popular person in the Academy, or the village for that matter. People tend to avoid him, and kids are warned to stay away, but not every child listens to their parents. Most of the time that's a bad thing, but like in many other cases, Naruto is the exception to the rule.

Kiba Inuzuka is a member of a proud clan of shinobi; known for their tracking abilities and their ninja dogs, such as his puppy Akamaru, who is currently resting on his head. Like many members of his clan, he is a brash and rebellious braggart, so when members of his clan tell him not to do something, he tends to do the opposite, just to see what would happen.

So when an older cousin of his told him to 'stay away from Naruto Uzumaki', he completely ignored his relative's warning and introduced himself to the blonde urchin on their very first day at the Academy together. Being the extroverted bundle of energy that he is; Naruto quickly made a friend out of the young Inuzuka, even if they do like to beat the tar out of each other for fun.

So it was with little preamble that Kiba approached Naruto at lunchtime. "Yo, Naruto! What've you been doin' since I saw you last?"

Naruto grinned and put an arm around Kiba's shoulders. "Hey Kiba! You know me, every day's an adventure." The young Uzumaki gave his friend a sidelong glance, "But where the heck have you been? I didn't see you at all last month."

Kiba scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah… sorry about that. My mom kept me busy teaching me clan stuff. You understand right?"

The smile never left Naruto's face, but Kiba could tell that he had said the wrong thing. "Nah, I get it. It's fine. So whady'a think of the new teacher, Iruka… something?"

"It's Iruka Umino, pay some attention next time." Came a lazy drawl from a few feet away. It was Shikamaru, who was calmly strolling towards the duo, his friend Chōuji following close behind.

"Says the guy who falls asleep in class." Said Naruto, a good natured grin on his face, Kiba's unintentional slight forgotten.

"Like you haven't done it too." Replied Shikamaru.

Shikamaru Nara, unlike many other children of his generation was not warned off the young Uzumaki. His father, Shikaku, did not see the point of encouraging his son to alienate another member of the village. His mother, Yoshino was a little bit more worried about her son associating with a known troublemaker, but she was not worried enough to contradict her husband either. So, without any reason to avoid his fellow Academy student, Shikamaru ended up speaking to Naruto one day at the academy, and quickly found a good friend and a kindred spirit when it came to slacking off.

Chōuji Akimichi's father, Chōza was more vehement in his wariness of Naruto, privately worrying that he could become a danger to himself and the village in the future. But despite his father's cautions, Chōuji, like in all things, followed Shikamaru's lead and befriended the young Uzumaki and he has never had cause to regret it.

Waving his hand to dismiss Shikamaru's reply, Naruto carried on. "Anyway, what'd you guys think of our new teacher?"

Kiba shrugged, "Eh, he's alright. It's too early to tell."

Shikamaru added his two cents "He seems more alert than Instructor Daikoku though. Maybe it's just because it's the first day, but he took the time to learn all of our names. That's not something Daikoku did; outside of students with clan names it took him a week to learn everyone else's."

Chōuji, munching on more potato snacks nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this Iruka guy seems okay."

Naruto tilted his head to one side, considering his friend's opinion. "Huh, you got a point. At least this guy talks; Daikoku just ignored people if he didn't like them."

The group of friends were silent for a second or two, before Kiba spoke up. "Ah, who cares about that? We got time before lunch ends, let's do something fun!"

"Like watching clouds go by?" said Shikamaru, his usual lackadaisical tone tinged with hope.

Suddenly, Naruto grinned, "Hey, I hear that Ami still thinks those flowers in the courtyard are poisonous… It would be a shame if she opened up her lunchbox and found a bunch of those flowers surrounding her food."

A feral smile adorned Kiba's face, "I never liked Ami, she called Akamaru a fleabag once, this'll teach her."

At seeing their enthusiasm, Shikamaru sighed, "I would say no, but you'll only drag me into this anyway, let's do it."

Chōuji, on the other hand, looked horrified, "A-are you sure, we're talking about messing with someone's _food_. That isn't right."

Shikamaru gave Chōuji a sideways glance, "Ami called you fat once."

"WHAT!" A fire burned in the Akimichi's eyes. "LET'S MAKE HER PAY!"

Laughing, Naruto raced off, his friends following him a moment later.

* * *

Sedately walking past the Academy courtyard, Hiruzen Sarutobi was congratulating himself on allocating some time in his day to stretch his legs. Despite several planning sessions, he was still a bit concerned about handing over the young Naruto's class to someone so recently qualified to be a teacher. But after using his Crystal Ball Jutsu to peak on the class, he was quite pleased with what he saw. Iruka managed the class well, and while it was still a bit early to tell, the Third Hokage feels confident that he has made the correct decision.

As he turned back to return to his office, he heard an ear-splitting scream from a distance away. Underneath a tree, a young girl with purple hair, Ami (if the Hokage remembered correctly) was throwing her lunchbox away from her, shrieking about poisonous flowers.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiruzen examined the flowers from afar and saw that they were common flowers that grew in multiple areas of the village, why did she think they were poisonous, and why were they in her lunchbox to begin with? After hearing the guffaws of several boys as the girl realised her mistake, the Hokage had his answer.

Watching Naruto and his friends run away from the young girl's righteous fury, the Hokage shook his head in amusement. He really should admonish the boys for their actions, or inform their teacher, but Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to do it.

Watching the young Naruto having fun with friends, even if it was at the good-natured expense of another, warmed the old man's heart. Resuming his stroll back to his office, a wan smile spread over the Hokage's face. Ah, to be young again…

* * *

After lunch, not much else occurred; as the first day back was less challenging than usual days at the Academy, simply to allow the students time to get back into the swing of things.

Iruka spent most of his time after lunch going through the test he had them all take, offering them all clear and concise answers to each question. Naruto had to admit, he had absolutely no clue how to answer those questions before Iruka gave them out. It was another point in his favour, Instructor Daikoku usually didn't explain the answers if you got them wrong, he only complained if you did.

Iruka also took them out to the range and evaluated their ability to throw shuriken. Which Naruto was abysmal at. Naruto could never understand it; no matter how hard he tried his shuriken always seemed to veer off target, never hitting it dead centre. This earned him derision from his classmates and some good natured ribbing from Kiba and his friends, but Naruto had long since learned to shrug such treatment off.

Either way, the first day at the Academy had just about come to an end. Iruka took a look at his watch and announced that the day was over.

"Okay class, that's it for today. On the most part, I'm pleased with what you know. Tomorrow onwards we will be working on new things, expanding your knowledge and teaching you new skills. I hope you all make it home safely and that you will be just as enthusiastic as I am tomorrow morning."

And with that unspoken signal, everyone began packing up their things to leave. Almost nothing is faster than a group of children leaving a class, but to his credit Iruka snagged the fastest one of all before he left.

"Uzumaki, could you please stay a moment longer?" Iruka said, his tone implying that it was not a request.

Grumbling at being held back a few moments longer than his peers, Naruto turned around to face his new teacher. "Yes, teach'?"

Iruka gave his pupil a measuring look. "I wanted to talk to you about your test score… I won't sugar-coat it Uzumaki, it's pretty bad."

Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at his sandals. "Yeah, so?"

Iruka forged on, "Uzumaki, you got almost every question wrong. Those you got right were riddled with spelling mistakes. You called the first Hokage 'Hishirumi'. You spelt 'Chakra' wrong too… It looks pretty certain that you didn't pay much attention in class last year."

The young Uzumaki wasn't just going to take that lying down; his new teacher already thinks he's stupid! "Hey! I paid plenty of 'tension in class!"

His Instructor raised an eyebrow, "Really? Well, maybe for the more physical lessons, if your rope-escape test time was anything to go by. But your shuriken test wasn't exactly stellar, Uzumaki. I'm concerned."

Naruto weakly tried to defend himself. "Yeah well… the lessons were boring, and they don't have anything to do with being a ninja…"

Iruka ran a hand through his hair, a sigh of exasperation escaping his lips. "Uzu… Naruto, listen to me."

Naruto looked up at his teacher with a start. This was the first time Iruka had addressed him with his first name, something he had been doing with everyone else in the class to begin with.

"Naruto… everything, absolutely everything taught in the Academy has a basis that can be applied as a shinobi. It's a bit difficult to explain, but everything you learn here will be important for a life as a ninja, and beyond that. As you get older and move up the years, new lessons will be taught, and their relevance to the ninja life will become more apparent." His instructor fixed his student with a stare. "But without the foundations taught in your first year, basic writing, reading, arithmetic… you would never be able to understand those lessons. Your lack of understanding of the first year theory would cripple your efforts to learn anything else. You would constantly be behind your fellow classmates."

Hidden by his pockets, Naruto clenched his hands into fists. "So, are you telling me to repeat a year?"

Iruka tilted his head to one side. "I never said anything like that. Repeating a year is the most extreme measure to take in this case. No… how about you spend an hour or so after class with me? I can help you review the work you _should_ have learned last year. With a little help from me it shouldn't take you too long to catch up with your peers."

Naruto bit his lip in thought. An extra hour in the Academy would suck; but he would have one-on-one help from his teacher. Naruto almost said yes on the spot, but… something held him back, some lingering resentment from when he thought Iruka believed he was dumb.

"Uh, can I have some time to think about it?" said Naruto, hedging his bets.

Iruka's expression was completely neutral for a moment, before he nodded. "I understand you want some time to think about it, Uzumaki. But don't wait too long, you need to start reviewing the first year material as soon as possible if you want to catch up to your fellow classmates."

Absently nodding at his teacher's words, Naruto strode out of the classroom, lost in thought.

* * *

After his first day back, Naruto, still dwelling on his teacher's words went about the rest of the day rather sedately. He spent some time in the woods, practicing his shuriken throwing before heading back home to eat some instant ramen.

However, throughout the evening, for some reason he couldn't explain, Naruto had the irresistible urge to go to bed early. Deciding that he didn't feel like doing anything today, the young Uzumaki decided to oblige this inexplicable desire, and it wasn't long before he was getting ready for bed.

Seconds after his head hit the pillow; Naruto fell into a deep slumber. He began to dream…

* * *

As always Naruto was on the Hokage Mountain; but this time something was different. Normally he came back to the same place he left before he woke up, but this time he was on a wide ridge big enough to stand on. The enigmatic Stranger in red armour was waiting for him, leaning against the mountain rock.

The Stranger was direct in his questioning, his tone hard and professional, "Why did you not accept your Instructor's offer?"

Naruto crossed his arms defensively, "I don't like people thinking that I'm stupid. If I do what the Instructor asks then I'll be admitting to everyone that I think I'm dumb too."

The Stranger looked down on the ninja-in-training, "You are far too conscious about what people think about you. While being aware about what people think of you is a good thing, it is also unwise to dwell on it."

Naruto cocked his head to one side, "What do you mean, Geezer?"

A sigh emanated from the crimson helm, "I mean that if you spend your entire life hesitating to take action because you are scared people will disapprove, you will never succeed. If you are scared about what other people think of you, I suggest you quit trying to become Hokage."

The blonde ninja-in-training wasn't going to take that lying down, "What? Quit!? No way!"

"A leader should not be so easily swayed by what people think of him. A leader must forge their own path, even if the road they take leads to dissent from those that may follow them."

Naruto was confused, "So you shouldn't listen to people that follow you?"

The Stranger raised a metal hand to placate the young Uzumaki, "I never said that. A leader should not be swayed by public opinion, but that does not mean they shouldn't heed the opinions of their followers. Even the mightiest Hokage and Daimyo listen to good advice when they hear it." The stranger put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "You are young and not yet a leader of men, but the only way to become one is if you accept the knowledge and wisdom of those who came before you."

Naruto scratched his chin in thought, "So are you telling me to accept Iruka's help?"

The Stranger nodded, "His help will definitely assist you on your path to becoming Hokage."

Still, Naruto was not fully convinced, his natural mistrust of adults (who are not the Hokage and the Ramen stand owner) shining through, "I don't know…"

The Stranger sighed once again, "That is… disappointing, Boy. I should have realised by now," his grip on Naruto's shoulder grew stronger, the clawed gauntlets exerting a near painful amount of pressure. "You require a more… dramatic example."

And with that, the Stranger picked up Naruto by the back of his jacket, and dangled him over the edge of the precipice.

"H-hey! What the heck do you think you're doing geezer!" Naruto shouted in panic.

"You seem reluctant to accept help, this is troubling. As my words could not influence you, perhaps actions will. Start again." And with those words and a flick of his wrist, the Stranger hurled Naruto off of the Mountain.

Hurtling through the air, Naruto was consumed with fear. He tried to reach out for the Mountain face but he was too far away to grasp it. The only thing running through his mind was _"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!" _this thought repeating in his mind like a hysteric mantra as he plunged toward the ground.

He fell further, and further until he crashed into the… soft pillow-like ground?

Realising that the fall didn't kill him, the young blonde gasped in relief. He was alive! But that relief soon turned to anger when he realised just what the stranger had done. Looking up the Mountain, Naruto could make out the crimson form of the Stranger above him. As soon as he spotted him, Naruto called out to the enigmatic man in fury, "HEY! You just tried to kill me!"

Despite how far away he was, Naruto could hear the Stranger's reply as if he was right next to him. "Of course not. I knew the fall wouldn't hurt you; otherwise I wouldn't have done it. I am not a fool, unlike you."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Naruto cried.

The Stranger's tone was sharp, "Being ignorant of the world is unfortunate. But when someone offers to remove that ignorance, to teach you the lessons you need to move up in the world, and then rejecting that offer? That is pure foolishness. Idiocy."

"I am not an idiot!" cried Naruto, brimming with indignation.

"Then prove it! Prove me wrong, boy!"

With a cry, Naruto ran towards the base of the Mountain and began to climb… only to immediately slide away, as the entire rock face became as smooth as glass. Shaking his head in confusion, Naruto launched himself at the Mountain once more… only to slip away once again as his hands found no purchase on the Mountain rock.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" Naruto roared; his tone one of confusion and anger.

The Stranger's rebuttal was sharp and to the point, "To climb the Mountain is to strive to become Hokage. But an uneducated fool could never become Hokage, so you could never scale this Mountain."

His fists shaking in indignant, impotent fury, Naruto shouted up towards the Stranger, "Yeah? Well I'll show you. I'll climb this Mountain, and then I'm gonna kick your ass!"

It wasn't long after that declaration that Naruto woke up; a fire burning in his eyes.

* * *

Watching as the dream faded away, Kurama returned to his natural form. His host will not forgive him easily for that little stunt, but seeing his terrified face as he was thrown of the Mountain was priceless.

In all seriousness, the boy needed a wakeup call. Being lackadaisical in his studies will negatively impact his ability to learn the shinobi arts in the future. Trying to reason with his host does not seem to work; the boy listens to his words, but he does not seriously try to understand them.

If discourse fails the only recourse is to antagonise the boy, challenge him. It worked before with the illusion of Sasuke Uchiha, so it should work now. However, there was one big difference, this time Kurama was using himself as the enemy. True, he is only using a mortal guise, but it would do no good for the boy to resent him unduly. With luck, the boy will understand his 'lesson' and apply himself to his studies. If he doesn't, it will become nigh on impossible to teach him anything.

It was a risky gamble. However, the Kyuubi is confident that it will pay off. Reclining in his prison, Kurama settled down to watch his host's day unfold.

* * *

For Naruto, the second day at the Academy was much different from the first. Determined to show up that damn Geezer, he paid attention in his classes; hanging onto Instructor Iruka's every word.

After the day's classes were over, Naruto waited for everyone else to leave and approached his teacher. "Um, Instructor… about that extra lessons thing, is that still available?"

Iruka gave his student and appraising look, before a small smile tugged the edges of his lips. "Of course, Uzumaki; we can start today, if you want?"

Nodding vigorously, Naruto sat down in the first row as his teacher opened the first-year textbook in front of him. He would show that Geezer who was boss…

* * *

In the darkness of his prison, Kurama grinned, his eyes glittering with triumph. It was a gamble; but gods, or even the fragment of a god, always win when they play with dice.

* * *

**I have to apologise for the severe lateness of this chapter. A combination of writer's block, a sprained wrist and the death of a relative have served to push its release date further and further back from what was originally planned. **

**This is my establishing chapter for the 'Academy Arc'; the next chapter will feature Naruto's interactions with the rest of the class, and feature some actual teaching from Iruka. Just to mention it right now, I won't be covering every single year Naruto has in the Academy; that would get boring pretty quickly. After some more establishing scenes I will time-skip often until graduation. I just wanted to establish how the Academy in my story works (which I will go into detail in the next chapter) and Naruto's overall relationship with his peers. **

**In the anime, Shikamaru, Chōuji and Kiba are often seen hanging out with Naruto in flashbacks at the Academy; but this friendship is barely ever acknowledged in canon or in most fanfiction. In this chapter I wanted to draw attention to that friendship.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, with luck the next chapter shouldn't take nearly as long.**


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